Paying Attention Quotes by Julie T. Lusk

“Yogis must have understood and applied the concept of neuroplasticity long ago. “Neuro” refers to the nerve cells of the brain, and “plasticity” refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize and restructure itself after training or practice. The brain never stops changing as the nerve cells (neurons) and other structures in it adjust and respond to new situations and changes…

— Julie T. Lusk

“It is described as a nonjudgmental attention, independent of the usual burden of likes, dislikes, opinions, ignorance, worry, aggression, craving, fear, selfishness, and the boundless array of emotional obstacles. Yet this deep layer of attention is not unaffected, numb, indifferent, or unemotional coldness. It is warmhearted unattachment that deeply cares and feels. Being unattached is being at peace with the…

— Julie T. Lusk

“Bring it alive in your mind’s eye, sensing it now, a feeling of being completely comfortable and protected… How does it look?…What does it feel like?… Were there sounds or smells involved? Sensing what it’s like to feel secure and protected. Embellish it any way you want so that you’re feeling more and more secure and protected… And noticing how…

— Julie T. Lusk

“Lie down on your back on a firm surface using a yoga mat or something similar. Being on a bed or couch fosters sleep rather than yoga nidra, so lying on a clean floor is better. Align yourself so there is a straight line from the center of your head, through your neck, and down to your navel. Position your…

— Julie T. Lusk

“This time, recall being loving, compassionate. It could be loving or compassionate toward a person, a pet, or something else. Any affectionate feeling, a fondness. What’s important is feeling loving…and experiencing it again now… And how about a time when you felt really loved…so cared for and lovable, a time when you felt loved, supported, and accepted, just for who…

— Julie T. Lusk

“Learning to stay on the verge of being awake and asleep is a very important, powerful, and fertile doorway, or midpoint. This still point is called the madhya, or center. Sally Kempton describes it as a state of awareness in which we enter “the inner space where we experience our connection to the whole.” She also says this “fractional pause…

— Julie T. Lusk

“Someone who is under constant stress “forgets” that he or she is tense due to habituation and no longer notices it consciously, even though everyone else might see it plain as day. The tension may only become noticeable after it causes physical problems like muscular tension, insomnia, or hypertension—or when emotional and behavioral problems arise, like losing one’s temper. Sometimes…

— Julie T. Lusk