Enlightened Living

Mindfulness practice in everyday life.

Michael J. Formica, MS, MA, EdM is a psychotherapist, social scientist, and educator in Westport CT. He is an Initiate in the Shankya Yoga lineage. See full bio

November 17, 2009

Stuckness and How It Is That We Stay There

Very often we do not see what is right in front of us. In the case of the fish, he doesn't know that he's wet. In the case of ourselves, it is more often that we do not have a clear grasp of the interior mechanisms that inform our choices, and how those choices then shape our lives, and our relationships. And just like the fish, when we find ourselves out of our comfort zone, we struggle and fight to get back to what we know, no matter how toxic the water.

November 11, 2009

Discovery Health Seeks Volunteers for Documentary “Coping With Rage”

The Discovery Health Channel recently contacted me to participate in a documentary on holistic and non-traditional approaches to anger management. The body of this post is devoted to an open letter from the contact person for the project, who seeks participants. The work to be filmed, from what I understand, would be conducted with me, directly. If you feel that you or someone you know might be interested in participating in this project, read on, and kindly contact her directly.

November 8, 2009

Obstacles, Opportunities and the Notion of One Truth

Within the Hindu pantheon, Ganesh (pr., ga-NESH) is the deity of obstacles. Most see this elephant-headed fellow as one who simply overcomes obstacles, but - all things occurring in balance - he can also present us with obstacles, or even be the obstacle himself, when there is a lesson to be learned. This brings us to the notion of tattva, or One Truth, which is a useful tool for breaking the bonds of those repeating patterns of behavior that plague us, and to which we often refer.

November 6, 2009

Ego, Insecurity and the Destructive Narcissist

Considerable attention has been paid to bullying of late, especially regards kids. One of the things that we tend to overlook, however, is that those playground bullies grow up and, as people are nothing if not consistent, they tend not to change a whole lot. The boys who picked on the retarded kid down the block and the mean girls who didn't invite the plain girl to the party grow up to be just as bossy, condescending, arrogant - and frightened - as they were as children.

November 3, 2009

The Practice of Mindfulness and the Cultivation of Conscious Living

When we want to achieve mastery at something, we practice. We practice the piano, a sport, a skill, or a language. Practice, practice, practice. What if we were to practice everything? This sentiment is at the core of mindfulness and the cultivation of conscious living.

November 2, 2009

Hatha Yoga, Habits of the Body and Habits of the Mind

Yoga, as an overall discipline, is incredibly rich and diverse. This complexity tends to get a bit lost on Western practitioners, with the focus mostly on Hatha Yoga as a physical practice of body and breath. Hatha is, in fact, only a beginning discipline, although it lies at the heart of the psychological transformation that is the true fabric of an authentic and transformative Yoga practice.

October 28, 2009

Who We Are, What We Do and the Space Between

One way that we can get drawn off our center is by confusing who we are with what we do. It is indeed true that our actions very much define us, but, to be fair, we might be better served by choosing to consider the source of those actions, and reflect upon their motivation relative to our core character. Read More

October 25, 2009

Examining Our Sense of Identity and Who We Are

Who are you? No...really...have you ever really considered that question? In the small of the night, when you are sitting naked in the dark, what is it that defines you? In these uncertain times, it is an imperative consideration because, when things are seemingly out of control and the center has been lost, when we find ourselves having to give up the people and things that we love for a time or forever, there is a place within ourselves to which we must return. What is that place for you?

October 24, 2009

Who Is It That is Scripting Your Life – You or Someone Else?

A very wise and beautiful friend of mine said to me the other day, "When are you going to stop listening to the voice of your father and start listening to the voice of God?" In context, she intended, "When are you going to stop following the script written for you years ago by someone else based on their needs, and start listening to the intuitive voice of your immediate, authentic self?" More to the point, she was asking, "When are you going to start trusting yourself, and, by association, trusting me?" Read More

October 23, 2009

The Butterfly, the Cocoon and the Seed of Transformation

We live in perilous times. Things that we have taken for granted and may have once regarded as constants in our lives have become uncertain, feeding, in turn, the frenzy of our own personal sense of uncertainty. This is nothing new, but recent events in the economy, the world at large and, for some of us, within our own personal realm of experience, have drawn into stark relief that which is the only constant - nothing is permanent, and everything must change. Our abject denial of this single truth has, in many ways, caused us to become victims of our own device. The Dharma Journal is a three month long project intended to bring into perspective the experience of what may be our current personal challenges, as well as to address that experience in a fashion intended to promote both a personal, and a planetary, evolution.

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