Meditation Monday
Join Our 30-Day Pilgrmage Into Joy!
Day 8 : We cultivate stillness.
Periods of stillness allow us to settle down—enough to let Joy break through. Moving so quickly, we are likely to miss the subtle joys of everyday life: a soft bed from which to rise, food on the table, bird song, a cloudless sky, the laughter of a child. Stillness enlivens us, as well as grounds us, in the present moment where all is well.
You need do nothing more than sit to access stillness.
Breathe deeply and evenly and allow the quiet to soothe your body, quiet your mind. Notice that at the end of each out-breath, before the next in-breath is a little pause—a gap where there is no thought. With each out-breath, allow your attention to drop into this small space. Just listen. Notice the nothing that is there. Ah, stillness.
Sit and notice in this way, sliding into the gap between thoughts, as long as you wish. Feel the Joy ...
Blessings, Jan
In stillness, we become attuned
to the crystal clear urgings of Spirit.
The silence that dominates the gap between thoughts and words
forms a pool into which drop-like pearls of wisdom
can be caught, absorbed.
Within these pearls of wisdom,
Spirit provides the much needed guidance we are seeking.
It in only in pristine silence
that sweet wisdom can be heard.*
Now, does your heart have anything to say?
I'd love to hear ...
~~~~~
Excerpted from Awakening the Spirit Within by Jan (Forrest) Lundy
Image courtesy of: www.freestockimages.org.
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15 comments:
I like the pause between in- and out- breaths, paying attention to it, being aware, hearing the birds outside chirping in its space. My Monday mornings feel a little like that breath pause; the more hectic weekend pace of projects around the home, errands, outdoor activities has come to an end, and the week's steady routine is about to begin. A Monday pause to stop in and absorb.
Beautiful post,Jan,to start the week.
I love the sense of peace that we feel after meditation.We sometimes passover our meditation time for some other work in our busyness but we have to realize that meditation helps us work more effectively and efficiently.
Beautiful start to my week. I think I'll post a little yellow sticky note to my computer screen with the reminder to "Breathe" on it. :o)
Joanne,
I like that pause too. It is a very special place.
Interesting that your Monday is more peaceful than most. I once heard that more people have heart attacks on Monday morning than at any other time. This sure is a tribute to the fact that you are doing what you love and doing it well. :-)
Sema,
Glad it resonated. :-) Stillness, to me, is the cure for anything that ails. I imagine you, too. Silence, quiet mind, quiet heart...
Carolynn,
You know I have seen bumper sticks that say "Breathe." Perhaps you could find one and it put it near your computer. :-) Personally, I love the phrase, "just breathe." It helps!
Jan,
Good to hear from you!I love the cover of your book! I love your short hair!
Yes I would love to be a special guest.
I'll add you to my blog roll. I have to figure out how.
Right now I'm going to sit in silence. Great post.
Like Joanne, and without realizing it, Mondays have become my day to regroup. I thought about that today, as I slowly started my day and went about putting the house in order. If I take that time on Monday, I set a tone for the week that gets me off on the right foot. Mondays have become "my" day.
Your writing is so beautiful.
I've noticed I'm in my head a lot. Whenever a thought comes saying, "Oh, oh. Something's wrong!", I sometimes remember to just breathe. No figuring things out. Just breathe:)
Ease comes naturally. When I forget, it's like I'm late for work and frantically pulling out things from the closet. What do I need now. So many Buddhist tools. But the simplest one is just breathe in stillness.
Thanks for the reminder!!!
Hi Tess!
It's great to connect with you again. Your site is absolutely delightful. Thanks for the kudos all 'round. I look forward to having you here as an inspirational resource. Blessings!
Sharon,
I can definitely resonate with Monday being a "regroup" day. I actually like Monday mornings too. I enjoy getting things in order and having a plan to work from (though not a rigid one, by any means). Glad you have found a day for you!
Mermaid,
We do seem to spend a lot of time in our heads... As you say, if we can remember to bring ourselves back to the moment and "breathe," it's amazing how things fall into place. Even in the rushing, we can label it as "rushing" and center ourselves in the breath...Great noticings!
Hi Jan, I just read your comment on Carolynn's post regarding your cat Chester. I felt obligated to tell you how much we loved our tabby Chester who we put to sleep a year ago tomorrow. He had beautiful white boots and a nice white bib. He was a very sweet boy who we miss terribly.
It's nice to find a new friend read.
My heart can't speak. It is enjoying the stillness your post ushered me into.
Hi Molly,
Thanks for stopping by! Oh, another lovely Chester. Yours sounds as magical as mine was. Beautiful memories... Yes, it is nice to find new friends to visit and sit awhile. Blessings to you!
Cheryl,
I am sooooo glad that stillness spoke to you. SHHHHH....
Cultivating stillness is the hardest thing (for me) to do. Our culture encourages busyness -- didn't Americans coin the term "slacker"?? -- so I always feel incredibly guilty if I am not accomplishing something 24/7. If I can't do something productive with my writing, I will rustle up a housekeeping project to "stay busy." I don't think this is a good thing.
Thanks for reminding me to slow down, Janice. You always make it seem so soothing and peaceful! I need that.
Cindy,
I completely sympathize! For me, stillness has come when I finally cultivated the ability to simply listen. To not even TRY to get quiet or to meditate, but to just sit still and notice, deeply listening to all that was going on around me.
When we can do that, we become aware of all that is teeming with life all around us and it is easy to move into awe, or joy, or just pure pleasure. In time, this becomes enough and the need to "do" begins to fade. Wanna try?
Years ago, when my children were probably in grade school, I realized that I was spending most of my day in the car in car pools or running errands. I decided that that time could be used well so from that time on I rarely listen to radio in the car. I do not use an iPod, never had a walkman or any other contraption that would take silence away from me. That silent time is so precious and so hard to find! Do you realize that everywhere we go music is piped in, sometimes at very high decibel levels?
I am not against music, no not at all. But I like to be able to choose when I listen to it. I am finding that more and more I resent having loud music everywhere I go. Are people really so afraid of the silence and their thoughts?
Interesting thoughts. I love the richness of silence, and what it has taught me about listening. Thank you Jan for another beautiful start to the week.
Your friend in JOY! xo
Diantha,
You are a woman after my own heart. I live a pretty soundless existence (no TV, no ipod, etc.) and revel in the "natural" quiet of things. Like you, I have been noticing the bombardment of our senses with noise pretty much everywhere we go—restaurants, waiting rooms, on hold on the phone, and more...I do wonder what we are afraid of. What secrets do we fear might be revealed in this silence? It is as if we are running from our selves. (Sigh).
I believe that if we can model to others the growth and sense of peace that can be found by exploring silence, we will give others permission to do the same. "The water's fine, c'mon on in. Nothing to fear but your truest self." Hugs to you and thanks for a very thoughtful post.
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