Michael Johnson is a compelling mix of creative yoga instructor and curious student of the mind. The root of his interest in meditation lies in its ability to help with neurological disorders and for developing wellbeing. Michael’s worldview and meditation practiced changed when he read Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson and Richard Mendius. In this book, they explain how we can literally reshape our brain for greater happiness, love and wisdom through a combination of modern science and ancient teachings. Implementing these teachings into his own life, Michael eventually divested himself of the dogmatic & religious interpretations of meditation and instead focused on a more scientific approach.
He brings awareness to the foundations of meditation from various traditions including Zen (Dogen’s rules for meditation), Vipasana (Midnfulness, awareness of breath and body scanning), Vedic teachings (chakras), Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali, Metta practices from Tibetan Buddhism bringing a systematic flow to his guided meditation.
– Ānapānasmṛti ≈ mindfulness of inhaling and exhaling
– Vipaśyanā ≈ insight
– Maitrī ≈ loving-kindness
– Vicāra ≈ inquiry

Learn more here.

CONCEIT: 

She speaks about conceit where there are several meanings to the word and one meaning is it is an idea , a conception. Nowadays we tend to think of conceit as a kind of Pride…. somebody praises you and if you’re conceited, thinking we’re better than other people. It can mean thinking we’re worse than other people because that’s a kind of conceit also. Most of us compare ourselves with other people a lot of the time – it’s a part of the critical mind to which we are all prone: seeing fault in other people or seeing thoughts in ourselves as well kind of conceit in a sense comparing making endless comparisons between ourselves and others. If we didn’t make comparisons there’d be no judgment no ground for criticism. All this comparison is not the reality, it’s just an idea we have so that’s related to conceit in the oldest sense, a conceit of something that really isn’t true. The Buddha said:  thinking I’m better than somebody else is deluded thinking,  I’m worse than somebody else is equally deluded and even thinking I’m equal to somebody else is deluded. And we all do this we all compare ourselves with others it’s a habit of mind that we might often not even be aware of. It’s just so endemic somehow if we tend to think generally that we’re better than other people we tend to look down on them and we don’t really respect them. You might be dismissive or rude, you might prejudge somebody based on our own biases or maybe we just don’t like that person so we tend to think they’re less good than we are in some way or we think they’re not as smart or as wise or competent or whatever as we are. We might not even be aware that we’re thinking we’re Superior to other people. It’s just a habit of mind we are caught into and we don’t even see it because we’re used to it or we think it’s true: “well yes I really am better than other people! What’s the problem? I’m seeing clearly.” Or you might think: oh no I’m not like that I think everybody’s equal I don’t think I’m better than other people I respect everybody but if we look more closely we might see those little seeds of conceit little waves that we think we’re better than somebody else because we all have them. We might have a little bit of conceit but praise is always in relation to unpraise! …it’s a proud vs inadequacy thing as Rev. Master Jiyu used to say: the two sides of one coin. We we try to prop ourselves up if we’re feeling badly about something. We look for thoughts on another person to make us feel better sometimes…thinking I’m anything if deluded. it’s separating ourselves off from other people: there’s me over here and then others over there. And this is the false conceit that the Buddha talks about: the false view of oneself that we think is real. …Our body is impermanent, painful and subject to changes. it will age it’ll change and eventually it’ll die and it’s just a body we’ve been given. There’s no cause for pride in it at all. The illusion of being a me, a self with its attributes a strong body or a weak mind-all those attributes that we might attribute to ourselves. In fact they all change they all come and go, Nothing lasts forever. Our minds change constantly – thoughts-they’re not our own. Whoever we think we are, we’re responsible for what we do with them. We can actually keep letting go over and over and over.

 

THE YAMAS OF PATANJALI: The First Step on the Path to Self-Realization

“Yama” in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras represents the foundation of yogic ethics, providing a framework for cultivating a compassionate lifestyle that supports the pursuit of spiritual growth and self-realization.

Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga (Eight) Limbs of Yoga

We all want Samadhi. We all want Bliss. But the very first step that will guaranatee us those high states, we vehemently avoid, or at least try our best to ignore. Every change we want to see in the world, we must first perfect within ourselves. What Patanjali wanted of each Yogi, was not being “nice” and speak the truth and not hurt others, but he wanted us to develop and awaken Power through the Yamas. Are you ready for that?

In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Yama (Sanskrit: यम) refers to the first of the eight limbs of classical yoga, also known as Ashtanga Yoga. Yama consists of five ethical restraints or abstinences, which serve as the foundation for a yogic lifestyle. These restraints are essential for cultivating inner awareness, self-discipline, and spiritual growth.

The five Yamas, as outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, are:

1. Ahiṃsā (Non-violence): Refraining from harming or causing suffering to oneself or others, physically, verbally, or mentally.
2. Satya (Truthfulness): Speaking truthfully and honestly, without deceit or falsehood.
3. Asteya (Non-stealing): Refraining from taking what is not given, including material possessions, ideas, or opportunities.
4. Brahmacarya (Moderation un the use of the Senses): Practicing sexual restraint and moderation, and avoiding exploitation or harm to others.
5. Aparigraha (Non-covetousness or Non-possessiveness): Letting go of attachment to material possessions, desires, and outcomes, and cultivating a sense of detachment and inner freedom.

These Yamas are not mere moral codes, but rather a means to purify the mind and prepare it for deeper states of consciousness. By observing these restraints, one can:

• Cultivate self-awareness and introspection
• Develop emotional intelligence and empathy
• Purify the mind and emotions
• Prepare for the practice of meditation and concentration
• Attain a sense of inner peace and liberation

In summary, Yama in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras represents the foundation of yogic ethics, providing a framework for cultivating a virtuous and compassionate lifestyle that supports the pursuit of spiritual growth and self-realization.