Dear Friends, As we open to the experience of emotions, sometimes, it’s enough to label them, to get a gap between the experience of the emotion and our habitual response. There’s a poem by Rumi, “The Guest House,” that reminds us that emotions are normal: This being human is a guest house.Every morning a new arrival. A joy,… Read More »
Dear Friends, In meditation, we usually start with turning attention to the body – breathing, sitting, standing, walking, … As we experience the body in this mindful way, we begin to see some basic ways the body responds to what’s happening – some things are pleasant, some unpleasant, and some (possibly most) is a neutral blur. And we… Read More »
Dear Friends, Yesterday’s post listed five common categories of challenges we may encounter in our meditation — and in life. Today, I’ll offer a few ideas of ways we can work with these challenges. The first thing is to recognize that these are habitual states of mind, so we don’t have to make this a problem. We do… Read More »
Dear Friends, With the prospect of strong winds and snow across much of Saskatchewan over the next day or two, there’s a good chance things here will look a bit like a snow globe that has been shaken up. We won’t be able to see the buildings or trees clearly as the snow is whipped up and swirled… Read More »
Dear Friends, One of my favorite retreat traditions is to drive down to Shelter Cove, California, to go on a retreat with Susie Harrington and her co-teacher at a special place along the Lost Coast. After the retreat, I have a lovely drive back. I camp along the way, and at the retreat site. The last time I… Read More »
Dear Friends, My dog, Reece, has interesting habits. When I’m in the kitchen and I open the treat door, no matter where he is in the house, he will come running. However, if I turn on the toaster oven, he will run to another part of the house. If I’m washing the dishes, he may or may not… Read More »
Dear Friends, There’s a poem by Jack Gilbert called “A Brief for the Defense” that has this reflection: We must risk delight. … We must havethe stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthlessfurnace of this world. To make injustice the onlymeasure of our attention is to praise the Devil. Jack Gilbert, “A Brief For The Defense”https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-brief-for-the-defense/ The… Read More »
Dear Friends, Thich Nhat Hanh taught: Chew your food, not your worries Sometimes we eat, but we aren’t thinking of our food. We’re thinking of the past or the future or mulling over some worry or anxiety again and again. So stop thinking about your business, about the office, or about anything that isn’t happening right now. Don’t… Read More »
Dear Friends, In times when I find my mind is agitated – from world events or inner turmoil – I find it useful to give myself more room and a more physical way for the agitation to move through the body. Then I may be able to settle into a sitting meditation. Talk about Walking Where am I… Read More »
Dear Friends, Diana Winston wrote: Your body is the doorway to mindfulness. As you may have noticed by now, your mind can be anywhere at any time…. Your body, by contrast, is always in the present moment, so brining attention to it brings you automatically into the present. The task is to turn your attention to this reality,… Read More »
Dear Friends, In a short story called “A Painful Case,” James Joyce wrote that the main character, Mr. Duffy, “lived at a little distance from his body.” As we sit with our devices at hand, reading these words, perhaps some may notice that we too live at a little distance from our bodies. I have certainly noticed that… Read More »
Dear Friends, This poem brings me a smile: One Attempt at Efficiency after an idea planted by Gabrielle Louise it never worksthis trying to exhale and inhaleat the same time ~ Rosemerry Wahtola Trommerhttps://ahundredfallingveils.com/2016/02/06/one-attempt-at-efficiency/ One of the most common ways to cultivate mindfulness is by turning attention towards the breath. This is something we can do any time,… Read More »
Dear Friends, The Chair A funny thing about a Chair:You hardly ever think it’s there.To know a Chair is really it,You sometimes have to go and sit. “The Chair” by Theodore Roethke, from The Collected Poems of Theodore RoethkeAs shared here: http://www.ayearofbeinghere.com/2013/06/theodore-roethke-chair.html Most meditation instruction starts with mindfulness of the body. In formal meditation, posture is one way… Read More »
Dear Friends, There’s a beautiful poem attributed to Hafiz: It Felt Love HowDid the roseEver open its heart And give to this worldAll itsBeauty? It felt the encouragement of lightAgainst itsBeing. Otherwise,We all remain Too Frightened. Hafiz and Daniel Ladinsky. The Gift. New York, Penguin / Arkana, 1999. (You can hear Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer sing a beautiful rendition… Read More »
Dear Friends, You may have seen this meme before: a stick person is walking with a dog (or sometimes a child or other person). There is a thought-bubble from each. The person’s bubble is full of people, cars, music, food, clothes, mail, gadgets, etc. The dog’s thought bubble reflects just the scene ahead – trees, sun, earth. The… Read More »
