You’ve probably heard the term ‘older and wiser.’ And when you think of Zen, you probably picture Zen Masters who are in their 80s or 90s and who look like Yoda from Star Wars. But the truth is, the Zen perspective can happen at any age, for anyone who has ‘gone through the storm’ of a turbulent life and has come out the other side and has been shown a new light.

And we need to be made aware of this, so that we ourselves do not judge people’s Zen ability.

It’s TIME TO RISE ABOVE our own self-involved worlds, so we can see perspective in a world beyond our own.

The situation in Haiti has brought this ‘Zen Perspective’ to many people there who have endured so much in this earthquake disaster. Children who are barely seven years old, who may have no food, water, lost their home and have lost their parents and all their relatives – now have a Zen Perspective. They are just happy to be alive. While they may be in shock and are severely grief-stricken – they smile upon being rescued. They see the gift in that. They understand immediately, that if there is outreach, there is Zen.

While they may not have much… they know they have more than most people, because they have gratitude and appreciation for what little they have.

Isn’t there a life lesson in this? Are you getting it? Do you see it – can you fathom this?

Someone may think they have lived a hard life, but until you go through the storm, you don’t know how the simple things can bring Zen to light and put Zen into proper perspective.

We live in a different time now. Some of us have come to realize that nothing else matters other than life itself and the lives we choose to live each day forward in how our actions affect the lives of other people.

It is NOT all about us. We cannot selfishly shelter ourselves in a cocoon of our own world and be blind to what domino effect happens as a result of everything we say and do or be so immune to the fact – horrible things happen outside of our own bubble. It is time for us to not only take responsibility for actions and reactions, but it is time to think about a world outside of our own daily lives.

It is then, we will be grateful, thankful, feel blessed for what we have and become more aware of what we take for granted on a daily basis.

We must also understand that just because everything in our own lives may not be as wonderful and glorious as we would like, that there is Zen in what we DO have, because someone somewhere else has it far worse.

The Zen Perspective comes in many different forms across the globe, to many who live in very diverse situations. The Zen Perspective comes from all different kinds of people – all ages, all religions, all colors and from many different sets of circumstances.

You may discover this Zen Perspective coming from the most unlikely places – but ultimately, it would be nice if you could discover this, within and appreciate each day.

Namaste.

Stacey Kumagai – Zen Goddess 9 – Integrity & Wisdom and All Your Friends At Zen Evolution TV

Today is the last day of the year. And being the last day of the year, people do a lot of reflection. This whole year for us at Zen Evolution TV has been a challenging one, but one that has been filled with many life lessons, many growth opportunities and many losses. But these losses have helped us gain strength and perspective. And today is no different.

The year 2009 started out with the death of loved ones. Mid-year, we lost more loved ones, including the death of one of our commercial stars, alongside a few victims of the economy.

And now as we end our year, another death has saddened us. We lost one of our show stars, Simon. He was a vivacious and enjoyed sharing Zen with others as only he could. A loyal supporter of ZETV, he worked many a late night with us and right up through his passing, taught us the peace and serenity of ‘being’ and Zen.

We are wise to what this year has meant for us. We know that we are constantly being shown new plateaus of Zen as we keep sharing it. And this year has been an enlightening one showcasing one of the most glaring examples of what Zen really is.

ZEN is about living, loving and being. This is OUR DOGMA. There are no deep secrets about ‘how to get it’ – it’s more about just being open to actually ‘getting it.’ There is no room for walls, there is no room for judgment, there is no room for being lazy about it, because if you don’t absorb it and do it, you just won’t ever have it.
ZEN can be yours everyday. Simon taught us this – enjoying the simple things in life. But he always made it clear at some point you have to STOP whining about things and go forward all the way, no matter what. He was persistent about showing up each day to be present to what he had to do. Some days he didn’t feel well, but that didn’t stop his strength, his will and motivation to keep going.

There is a lesson in that. So if you want Zen, you have to work for it and be open to what you learn along the way. Even if the new things you learn make you hesitate a bit because they are unfamiliar, it’s time to enter new territory with the spirit of being courageous and brave to take on your new world.

As the New Year begins, while we are grief-stricken, we carry on. We will incorporate our dogma into everyday life and thank you, our viewers and supporters for being Simon-like, in showing us that no matter what, you will be there right along with us.
Namaste.

New Year blessings to you all.

Stacey Kumagai – Zen Goddess 9 – Integrity & Wisdom and All Your Friends At Zen Evolution TV

It’s the holidays. And as we approach the New Year, we all (whether we admit to it or not) look to the New Year as a new start. But why?

Is it the ‘clean slate’ that makes us feel renewed? What’s wrong with who we are, as we are?

The problem that most of us face is we get too stressed, too over-worked, too taxed for our own good. This is the key reason we seek renewal again and again.

It’s not that there really truly is anything wrong with who we are. In fact, we can find more renewal WITHIN if give ourselves more permission during the chaotic holiday season, to BE OURSELVES.

Too often, we try to get through the madness of hectic holidays trying to do too much to meet up to the expectations that are self-imposed and also expectations placed upon us from friends, family and colleagues.

But the truth is, if we just be ourselves – we will soon discover that the like-minded people will gravitate toward the energy we exude if we choose to be HONEST with how we feel and who we are.

Most people tend to think that they need to live up to some ideal of perfection, or idealized version of who they are. If you look at life through realistic eyes, you will see that the people who like you, for you, as you are will stick with you. Those people who want to mold you into something that they think is a cookie-cutter fitted mold of what they want you to be, really don’t like you for who you are, simply because they don’t like themselves.

Acceptance of ourselves and each other is perhaps the greatest gift we can give to ourselves and to each other…. Not just during the holidays or as we embrace a New Year, but all year long!

So give yourself some ZEN for the New Year. Stop the resolutions of trying to do this, or do that or be this or be that. There is nothing wrong with you as you are. We all want to improve ourselves, but we need to do it for the right reasons. And it’s time to embrace ourselves as we are and start to appreciate and respect each other as is.

Life is beautiful. Everyone has goodness. We just need to stop long enough to take a look and appreciate it in everything and everyone.
Happy 2010.

Namaste.
Stacey Kumagai – Zen Goddess 9, Integrity & Wisdom and All Your Friends at Zen Evolution TV

When the weather outside gets frightful… how do you get into your ZEN space?

While we know we’re very fortunate here in Los Angeles to not have blizzards like other parts of the world, we do get Winter weather and just like for everyone else, Winter is a time of reflection.

Bears hibernate and so do people. The weather outside may not always be inviting, but finding your ZEN space INDOORS can be just as enlightening as finding your ZEN space in a Winter Wonderland.

You’ve probably heard of the saying – “Looking from the outside In.” And the holidays are the perfect time to do this. You will end up rediscovering yourself from the ‘inside-out’ by doing this.

When we watch holiday programming, we often see that ‘magical’ energy in old movies and TV commercials. This feeling may feel good as you watch it, but it can also be depressing.

For those who are alone, for those who have lost loved ones and for those who experience depression and anxiety when the holidays roll around, having the ‘holiday spirit’ can be a bit of bah-humbug time, because the holidays represent pain.

If we take the time to break away from the material and get into the spiritual part of the season, we will see that the Winter blues and blahs are sometimes a very necessary thing to experience.

It is almost a permissible time to finally be ‘too busy’ to get together and ‘too busy’ to attend a cheerful party when staying at home and cocooning is a therapeutic, reflective, emotionally fulfilling time. This time allows us to grieve, feel, shed some baggage, a layer of heaviness that we’ve been carrying around all year when it was sunnier and there was no excuse for not being out-and-about.

This time also enables us to begin anew and start the New Year fresh, healthier, happier and complete because we had this ‘time’ to do what we needed to do when the rest of the world did not allow us to do this at other times of the year.

Winter Zen is a gift in itself. Aside from the emotional and spiritual reflection, we have the key opportunity to dissolve and resolve other ‘obstacles’ in our life. This can mean everything from doing charity work and cleaning out a closet to help us grow as people – and overcome the idea that we can’t learn new things or evolve or make a difference. The truth is WE CAN and the more we do this, the more we understand ourselves and our world.

Winter Zen also helps us get in touch with our senses. The sense of smell is evoked with everything from fresh pine and spruce to holiday meals and spicy baked goods, aromatic candles, wood-burning fireplaces and roasted chestnuts.

The sense of sight is enhanced by bright lights, changing weather and crowds of people where we can people watch all day long.

The sense of sound can be heard from the chatter of children, the clanging of wine glasses and Salvation Army bells, holiday songs and even impatient traffic horns.

The sense of touch can be felt from hugs from loved ones, the Wintery chill at the tip of our nose to the softness of cozy blankets and coats.

And the sense of taste is heightened with the crispness of potato latkes, the spice of a cider or the burst of a peppermint candy cane.

Winter Zen allows us to reflect upon a year gone by, relationships made, blessings which have been bestowed upon us and the kindness of strangers.

It also gives us the opportunity to give thanks to all those who have been there for us as well as the good fortune we have in being alive, having survived another year through challenge and hardship …. Enduring it all and still having someone we can call friend.

Happy Winter. Happy Zen.

Stacey Kumagai – Zen Goddess 9 Integrity & Wisdom and All Your Friends at Zen Evolution TV

Have you ever had anyone ‘burst your bubble?’ We’re not talking about your bubble you blow from your bubble gum and not the bubble you make with soap bubbles – the bubble of your hopes, dreams, thoughts and ideas.

Bursting bubbles disrupts your ZEN, but it doesn’t have to!!!

As children we acquired a ‘learned response’ to become reactionary when people tried to burst our bubble. Maybe long ago one of our parents thought we had an overly active imagination or sense of wonder and wanted us to learn from their mistakes and didn’t want us to get hurt. Maybe a teacher, who didn’t want us to get ahead of ourselves wanted to bring us down from the clouds and stick to the assignment at hand. Perhaps our boss at work decided they didn’t want us to show up others on the team, so they chose to burst our bubble as to be on an equal playing field with our co-workers.

Regardless of ‘what’ it was – chances are you have had someone burst your bubble before. It doesn’t feel good. Our past behavior may have been to become defensive or withdraw or lose any motivation to move forward. But allowing the action of bubble bursting does not have to lead to disrupting our ZEN SPACE. IT CAN CREATE ZEN!!!

We are in charge of how we let things affect us. The world is filled with plenty of naysayers and negative people. Most people who choose to burst our bubble aren’t mean and vindictive, they usually care about us more than we know. All they are doing is preventing us from getting hurt, sheltering us from disappointment and pain.

But the truth is that disappointment and pain are good things if we are to grow as people. We cannot learn from mistakes made, if we are not allowed to make any. We cannot achieve anything if we are given ONLY praise and not constructive criticism as we will have nothing to learn from to become better and stronger.

Bursting our bubble can be a gift from others… if we let it be this.

You own your hopes, dreams, ideas and thoughts. You own your feelings. You also own how you choose to look at any given situation.

It is WRONG to wish ill upon people out of revenge for the hurt YOU ALLOWED yourself to feel by having your bubble burst. Don’t forget – you allowed and enabled the reaction and chose to feel pain.

It is WRONG to burst someone’s bubble just because yours was. Your bubble will never float and go anywhere because you’re too wrapped up in their bubble instead of yours.

It is up to YOU to keep your bubble in healthy form. Sometimes all you have to do is use a different soap and make a new kind of bubble.

No thought, idea, dream or hope is complete without compassion, reflection, respect, hard work, applying lessons learned and going internal to pull from your strength, faith and experience. And even if your bubble bursts on its own…. That’s the way to let it be, because IT IS MEANT TO BE. It will self-destruct when the time is meant for you to blow a new one.

The reality is that if you are too consumed by what someone did to your bubble instead of appreciating the rainbow of iridescence each bubble has, you are missing the very important beauty within having a bubble at all.

Sometimes the art of bubbling ZEN within involves taking the time to appreciate moments by isolating them within a bubble. Life is not about making each bubble materialize into anything sometimes other than recognizing that there is one. It’s what makes us feel alive.

We need to have an out of body experience to understand and take a look from the outside in as much as the inside out to comprehend the beauty of freedom…freedom to think, freedom to feel, freedom to create, freedom to have an idea, dreams, hopes and thoughts independently of having them actually go anywhere.

Not every dream is meant to be realized in achievement form.

Sometimes the art of dreaming is to inspire us to keep dreaming.

Sometimes having hope is simply a reminder that it exists, that hope is necessary to life and to pursue life.

If we put a bubble in proper perspective (yes, they are sometimes meant to be popped), we can achieve ZEN more. Not being so emotionally attached to every bubble is a good thing. It allows us to breathe and take a moment to see that everything that happens leads to something else. It is part of our journey to NOT fixate on the bubble.

Life has ZEN within it. Too often we put importance and emphasis on our own ego, rather than understanding we just received a gift from the broken bubble itself.

We have the power to blow more bubbles. But we actually become even more powerful if we choose to watch the bubble float away and burst without reacting negatively, and instead cherish the fact we were alive to see the beauty in that moment, because we chose to make it ZEN instead.

The Zen Bubble is allowing the bubble to simply, BE.

Namaste.

Stacey Kumagai- Zen Goddess, Integrity & Wisdom And All Your Friends At Zen Evolution TV