Welcome to Dennis Lewis' Blog

Satsangs and Guided Practices with Dennis Lewis: May through July, 2012

Dennis Lewis — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:25:53 +0000

The Center for Harmonious Awakening

Join me for spontaneous conversations on the theme of “Living in Wholeness” at The Center for Harmonious Awakening in the Rio Verde Foothills of Scottsdale AZ. We will meet on Sundays May 20, June 24, and July 29 from 9:30 till noon. After each Satsang, I will offer special guided breath, meditation, awareness, and qigong practices for developing attention and presence.

For more information and to sign up, please click here to download our flyer!

Instant Meditation: Connecting Heaven and Earth

Dennis Lewis — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:02:03 +0000

Smiling to greet myself, my eyes follow my arms reaching toward the heavens with my feet rooted into the earth as I inhale quietly through my nose; then, as I exhale with a long, melodious hum, my eyes follow my arms downward as they slowly return to my sides and as I sense the earth fully supporting me. I do this several times, connecting heaven and earth with full awareness of all my thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

You Are Part of Organic Life on Earth

Dennis Lewis — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:13:09 +0000

“Realize that you are supported by the earth and that this support is unconditional–there is nothing you have to do. All that is required is recognizing what is already obvious–the being-ness of your experience. Realize also that your body is made from the same substances as those of the earth and its atmosphere, and that everything you have or are at the physical level is somehow dependent on an exchange with the earth and the life it sustains. As a breathing being, you are part of organic life on earth interconnected with everything that exists.”

Dennis Lewis, Breathe Into Being: Awakening To Who You Really Are

The Treadmill of Self-Deception

Dennis Lewis — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:26:20 +0000

People often look for panaceas in their lives: a spiritual teaching or teacher, a concept, a belief, a positive affirmation, a transformational technique, and so on. And, to be sure, we do need plenty of help and guidance–and we do need to practice. But practice what and for what, exactly? What is my aim, my motivation, not just the one I proclaim to put myself in the best light, but the actual impetus behind what I do? We need to face this motivation honestly and realize that it often is not what we believe it to be. Sometimes it is fueled less by the quest for understanding and truth than by the desire to bypass our discontent, unhappiness, confusion, loss, fear, anxiety, anger, trauma, and the many other aspects of our being we find too painful to face. Unless we see and face ourselves as a whole, however, and release through intimate awareness the powerful energies locked into these difficult emotions and experiences, our efforts and practices are likely to keep us on the treadmill of self-deception, with little hope of self-transformation or self-realization.

The Master and the Tea

Dennis Lewis — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:58:19 +0000

The master offered her prospective student a cup of the tea she was drinking. The student, a very serious fellow, responded with what was clearly not a question: “But that tea isn’t real, is it?” The master simply smiled, enjoying the tea as she conversed further with him.

Join Me at the Breathwork Summit

Dennis Lewis — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:53:26 +0000

Breathing, whether we do it consciously or not, is our life force. A newborn takes her first breath. A dying man exhales for the last time. On each end of life, there is only breath.

And yet, caught up in our frantic schedules, work, family, and yes, even personal growth activities, so many of us forget to simply breathe.

When we do slow down and notice our breath, life changes. We get calmer, our minds clear, we feel more connected to ourselves, a higher power, and to the people we love. Many of us experience a deep sense of “oneness” that radiates out from within and into the world.

That’s why I’m excited to invite you to The Breathwork Summit – a FREE 4-day virtual event, January 31st – February 3rd, dedicated to harnessing the power of your breath for healing yourself and transforming our world.

I’ll be speaking at the Summit along with world-class breathwork pioneers such as Gay Hendricks, Stan Grof, Jack Kornfield, Sondra Ray, Leonard Orr, Dr. Dan Siegel and many other experts and visionaries.

Learn more and sign up for free here

Join us, learn to consciously breathe and experience these benefits in your life:

–Relieve stress and feel calmer in your mind and body
–Unblock and resolve painful, energy-draining emotions, trauma and conflicts
–Sharpen your mind
–Connect more strongly to your life force
–Increase your capacity for joy, peace and love
–Experience deep, permanent healing on a cellular level
–Open the door to becoming a more vibrant, loving, creative and responsible being – a true agent of change

P.S. When you learn to consciously breathe, you’re then able to show up more fully as a force for positive change in the world.

Join me for The Breathwork Summit and spread the word!

Co-Sponsors:
The Shift Network, The Shift Movie, MaestroConference, Transformations School of Integrative Psychology, International Breathwork Training Alliance.

Being Present to Yourself–Just as You Are

Dennis Lewis — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:08:26 +0000

The Illumination of Presence

It’s not what you know, or believe you know, that brings meaning and happiness. It’s how you touch and relate to yourself, others, and the world that matters. Do you hide behind concepts and beliefs and philosophies, however grand they may seem? Or do you live genuinely in the thick of life, however messy and confusing that might feel? Whatever your answer, it’s always revealing, and freeing, to be present to yourself–just as you are.

Daily Breathing and Awareness Practices, Insights, and Tips

Dennis Lewis — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:09:44 +0000

Visit my Facebook author page and click LIKE to receive in your newsfeed daily practices, exercises, insights, and tips related to breathing, awareness, healing, awakening, and much more.

My Facebook author page now has more than 5500 fans.

I hope you will join us today!

Musings on Blaming and Responsibility

Dennis Lewis — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:44:14 +0000

Blaming assumes that people and things and situations “should” be different than they actually are. You can argue with reality all you want, but you can never win. What you can do is stop wasting your time and energy and attention imagining that things should have been different than they are, and, instead, if that is what you truly wish, do what you can right now to make them so.

So many people whine and whimper and defend themselves and their failures, blaming them on others and the situation instead of using their so-called failures to grow in understanding and being. Such people seldom find themselves in the right place at the right time. And they never will.

The ability to respond, to adapt, intelligently and effectively to often seemingly impossible conditions and odds, is part of the power and beauty of the human brain and nervous system, part of the mystery of the human spirit. This response-ability, however, has to be exercised if it is to be a vivifying factor in our lives. And if one doesn’t exercise it in small ways as often as possible it probably won’t manifest when we really need it in more important situations.

Here’s an example of what I mean by exercising it in small ways. The next time something small goes wrong in your life, instead of allowing yourself to be seduced by the first thought that arises (it must be someone else’s fault), see that thought for what it probably is–defensiveness, laziness, and habit–and look and question more deeply. Is my judgment actually true? Perhaps if I had left home on time and hadn’t had to rush I wouldn’t have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had that car back into me when I was driving by (this actually happened to me). It doesn’t mean that the person who backed into me isn’t also responsible. What it does mean is that the situation most likely wouldn’t have happened had I been taking care of my own real business.

So much of what goes wrong in our lives happens because we aren’t looking and listening and sensing, we aren’t paying attention–we aren’t present. No blame here; just a simple reality for which each of us is ultimately responsible.

Discovering New Dimensions of Space Within Your Body

Dennis Lewis — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:54:49 +0000

Can you discover new dimensions of space within your immediate physical, emotional, and mental experiences? This will require a deep level of awareness, a thawing of your conceptual framework, and a concomitant non-identification with the stories you tell yourself about who you and others are and what you are experiencing.

Begin with your breath. Sense yourself breathing the space of the atmosphere into the spaces of your body. This is a profound practice that may take a long time to fully understand, so work without willfulness and be patient.

And be sure to listen to the instructive and meditative interview of me by Tami Simon, founder of Sounds True. The interview (56 minutes), entitled “Breathing Space into Space,” is part of her “Insights at the Edge” series, “interviews with leading spiritual teachers and writers about their latest challenges–the ‘leading edge’ of their work.”

The interview (November 15, 2011) will help you understand the profound, practical nature of this practice.