Dear Friends,
The practices of mindfulness and meditation have been such incredible supports for me in the challenges of life, including 2020! That is what has motivated me to study and practice and share with others.
This is the sixth year I have offered this daily email in January, and I’m honoured that you have chosen to join me in this iteration.
This year, I am going to be gathering and sharing resources and practices that will be useful when I have an opportunity to teach to a six-week introductory training in mindfulness course later this spring. It is my hope that you will find this useful in establishing and strengthening your own practice, and that together, we will plant seeds of kindness and wisdom in ourselves and in the world.
Here’s a poem to invite us into this month together:
There is no such thing as a “safe space” —
Untitled Poem by Beth Strano
We exist in the real world.
We all carry scars and have caused wounds.
This space
seeks to turn down the volume of the world outside,
and amplify voices that have to fight to be heard elsewhere,
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be
But
It will be our space together,
and we will work on it side by side.
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/untitled-poem-beth-strano
See also
https://onbeing.org/programs/jennifer-bailey-and-lennon-flowers-an-invitation-to-brave-space/
All the emails from this year (and previous years) will be archived to this blog:
https://www.grzesina.net/meditation
Comments are open on the newer posts, and you are invited to share your thoughts and feedback on the posts, or simply reply by email too.
I am grateful for the mentorship, guidance, and support from Jeanne Corrigal, the guiding teacher for the https://saskatooninsight.com/, and a participant in the IMS Teacher Training Program. I also wish to acknowledge guidance from many other special teachers, including Mark Coleman and Martin Aylward, who are leading the mindfulness teacher training program in which I am enrolled, Susie Harrington, Ayya Anandabodhi, and online teachers including Vincent Horn and facilitators of various BCBS online courses, as well as numerous teachers who generously make their teaching available through Dharma Seed, Audio Dharma, books, and other resources. I am also fortunate to have admirable friendships with other practitioners in the Living the Dharma Program, co-led by Susie Harrington and Jeanne Corrigal. (Any errors or misunderstandings are my own.)
Stay tuned for the first email/post tomorrow!
With warmest wishes,
Andrea Grzesina
andrea@grzesina.net