Day 28: Meditation Challenge ~ "Congratulations, Good Meditators!" says Diana Lang

 Welcome, to my 28-Day Meditation Challenge!

On Day 10 of the Challenge, yoga and meditation teacher, Diana Lang, joined us. She welcomed in our Challenge and gave us some wise advice for getting started. (You can read that post here.)

Diana's back, and this time she's offering us hearty congratulations and more wise words on how we can best frame our meditation experience of the last month. I hope everyone will read every word of this post (and not just speed read through!) as it is the wisest, most wonderful thing, I have read in eons! No exaggeration. Please—take a breath, read, and enjoy—with a wide open heart. :-)

Dear, dear Meditators,

If there is one thing I would like to leave you with from your experience on this 28-day spiritual adventure, it would be to be gentle with yourselves in your evaluation of yourself about it. 

Meditation is a process of self-discovery and awakening. We can be so critical of ourselves when we are learning something new. We don’t give ourselves a chance to get it. If I dropped you off tomorrow in Italy I would not expect you to be able to speak fluently. But as a teacher, I would also know that you would learn the language quickly, and that the more you were immersed in it, the faster that learning would be. In learning new things we sometimes create unclimbable mountains of expectation of what we think ought to happen. We can have unrealistic expectations about the goal, how we should get there and even what the goal is. But let me powerfully reassure you that any bit of anything that you understood during this process is valuable. In meditation there is no goal per se. There is just the doing of it.

In my book, Opening to Meditation, I write, “Meditation is like a hammer and a nail and it works if you use it.” Meditation is purely practical. All you need to do is do it. As best you can, give yourself a chance to go through a learning curve.

During these 28 days you may have found that what kept you motivated was an inspired piece you read, or a commentary by Jan or by another fellow meditator. If you got a thing from this experience, know that this one thing can change your life. Value it. Use it. Apply it. If it was a reminder to take a deep breath, use a mala or a mandala, concentrating on a candle, chanting, prayers, hymns, and more, all of these ways are a step along the path. Don’t underestimate the value of this experience. It is a sacred path that you have embarked on. You have to trust your journey. Trust your walking. Trust your Self.

Whatever time you were able to do meditate for during these 28 days, know that “it counts”. There is an amazing and beautiful spiritual principle at work here. Any little or a lot of training in meditation is yours through all time and space. You will never lose it. It will always, always be with you.

Because awareness sticks. You can’t lose it. You don’t have to try and remember what happened, or write it down, or get a grade for it. Awareness is. It becomes a part of you.

Whether you meditated every single day or just once, be glad that you gave yourself this gift of awareness. It’s not about quantity of consciousness but quality of consciousness. More time in meditation doesn’t automatically make you more enlightened. It is the quality of your consciousness that spiritual success is built from.

So even if you only meditated one time or ten times out of the 28 days, know that this is part of you now – part of who you are, part of your spiritual lineage and your birthright. And when you meditate again it will be right there where you last left it and it will have grown on its own some too!

Meditation will change your life. Every little nanosecond that you spend “in consciousness” adds to the depth and presence of who you are. Meditation, and the world that comes with it, is a sacred spiritual journey that unfolds to you, step by sacred step. When we meditate we are not only helping ourselves find inner balance and peace, we become part of the healing solution for our planet. Our own personal balance makes us like a living lighthouse in the world. So the gift we gave ourselves becomes a gift that extends past our own life.

Meditate and watch your life unfold in perfect rhythm and harmony. Meditate and remember the light of who you are. Be glad you gave yourself the time and space to create consciousness. And I know I speak for Jan when I say this, keep meditating. It is one of the most valuable things you will ever do.

Love and blessings,
Diana Lang

Diana Lang is a spiritual teacher and counselor and the director/owner of LifeWorks - Center for Growth in Los Angeles, California. She has been teaching meditation and yoga since 1980 and conducts seminars in the United States and internationally on meditation, body awareness, stress reduction, and relationship development. www.dianalang.com

Diana, I cannot thank you enough for creating this send-off message for us. My heart is so deeply touched—and opened—by what you have shared here. You encourage us onward in such a profound, yet practical, way. And what a joy it has been to be encouraged by you and to get to know you better!

I will keep keepin' on. I hope the rest of us do, too. The world does need the light from our radiance, now more than ever, and meditation can help amplify that radiance. Thanks and a million blessings to you, Diana!

And I will be posting my final thoughts and learnings re. the Challenge on Monday, so stay tuned!

As always, I welcome your thoughts ...

Love and blessings,
Jan

Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 28, My Meditation Experience

I'm heading off now to sit zazen with Jundo. I am so glad that I found this meditation aid during the Challenge. It has grounded and centered me every day—and taught me a whole lot too!

Recommended Resources:

If you'd like to continue on with the Challenge through a more structured meditation course, check this out. Gil Fronsdal is a lead teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in California. Click here and you can download free a 6-week meditation course he teaches, complete with guided meditations and downloadable homework (handouts). An excellent resource! www.audiodharma.org.

Inspiration:

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 ~~~~~
Still waiting on our server to trouble shoot the technical difficulties we are having uploading the MP3 of the "Meditation Challenge Conference Call."I remain hopeful!

For now, here is how you can listen to the recording. (213) 289-0503. Code: 754658. You will have to pay regular long distance charges, unless you have free LD calling. Enjoy!

Read more...

Day 27: Meditation Challenge ~ What Does Calm Look Like?

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.

Ok, still having technical difficulties! Sorry! Even our server does not understand why the MP3 of the "Meditation Challenge Conference Call" can't be uploaded. Now they are "troubleshooting." Argh...... Breathe....We'll keep trying. :-)

So for those of who you are dying to listen to the call, here is how you can listen to the recording now. (213) 289-0503. Code: 754658. You will have to pay regular long distance charges, unless you have free LD calling. Enjoy! Hopefully tomorrow I'll have good news.

Today, I have a meditation treat. A testimony to the power of meditation by one of our Challenge participants! 

Blogger, Michele Fischer, contacted me about what meditation means to her and how it has impacted her life. I appreciated her perspective so much. It's fresh, insightful, and empowering! Thank you, Michele, for being part of the Challenge and sharing your thoughts with us!

What Calm Looks Like

by Michele Fischer

In my studies with yoga, meditation and mindfulness I have created in my head this picture of what calm is, what centered and at peace looks like.

Generally the picture is something like this:
A beautiful meadow with a yogini sitting-cross-legged in the middle, eyes closed able to walk through life in this exact state. He never raises his voice, never loses patience and enjoys a kind of euphoria on earth.

It’s no wonder why I found it nearly impossible to create a daily meditation practice when I had set as a goal an almost impossible intention. Was it truly my goal to be in a state of peace and calm or was I trying to achieve a state that would be void of any sort of conflict and turmoil? When I stopped to really think about what it was I was trying to achieve through my spiritual practice and what I truly wanted, meditation took on an entirely new meaning for me.

As spiritual beings we are here to experience life in a way that can only be done by, well, living it—both the good and the bad. I’ve started to slowly, very slowly, realize that being centered, focused and spiritual has nothing at all to do with our circumstances and everything to do with our perspective and reaction to what life hands us.

For me, my true lesson came when I stopped focusing on having a life that would be void of conflict and discourse and rather looked at how I was handling things, what my internal dialog was when these things occurred and ultimately how I would like to handle such situations in the future.

One of my biggest turning points related to a normally touchy subject for me and that was my job. It has always been my dream to be a writer and I viewed whatever job I had as hindrance to that goal. My inner monologue would go something like this, “Someday I want to have a job that allows me to write, to spend my days doing what I love!” While focusing on the writing was a positive, the way in which I was doing it wasn’t and by just shifting and refocusing my eyes a tiny bit, the whole world changed the way it looked to me.

Instead of saying, “someday when I can write,” I started writing. There was nothing preventing me from doing this except for my preconceived notion, story if you will, of what being a writer had to look like. I wanted to write so I did. I also started to make my job my own, doing things in such a ways as they were in align with my own skills, attributes and talents and as a result the most amazing thing happened; my job no longer became a source of stress! Instead of it being this time consuming thing that prevented me from writing it was the thing that allowed me the ability to write.

My meditation practice changed also. As a result of taking note of the inner monologue I was having, I realized that my lapse with meditation was nothing more than my own preconceived notions keeping me from meditating. In my mind you needed to be sitting in a space set up for meditation, candles lit, soft music playing and you needed to sit for a minimum of 20 minutes to calm and center yourself. Instead, I started using my moments of awareness, when I was taking note of that inner dialog to stop, breathe and ground myself-you know, meditate!

So while I do still love a good candle lit, incense burning meditation session I have brought meditation into the “real world” for me and made it a part of not only my life but in how I approach the people and events in that life.

Visit Michele Fischer's blog, to read more of her thoughts. 

See what I mean? Fresh .... insightful ... empowering. Thank you, again, Michele, this was just great!

As always, I welcome your comments ...
Blessings,

Jan

Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 27,  My Meditation Experience

I sat zazen with Jundo again. Is there such a thing as bad zazen ("sitting practice") he asks? I loved his perspective on resistance and busy mindedness. I sat in silence after that. Click here. 

Resources:

I've appreciated the music of Deva Premal for many years. Her use of mantra and chant has often deepened my meditation practice. You may enjoy this video of her sharing and singing the Gayatri Mantra to a talking circle of teen girls. Her translation of the Gayatri Meditation: "May all beings living on the planet be in light."

Inspiration:

From one of my very favorite coffee table books:

As the Buddhist author, Richard St. Ruth says, 'Buddha means "awakened", so when we start to meditate we are working towards an awakening. However, if we assume, as in Zen, that we are Buddha from the beginning, then it becomes a question of staying in that time or moment so that we can reawaken our Buddhahood. As practitioners become more experienced, they are able to stay in a  contemplative state regardless of circumstance or time. This awakeness therefore transcends both physical and mental states. One of the principal teachings of Tibetan Buddhism  uses the analogy of a bird flying through space. This is how we should live our lives, by staying in the moment and not leaving tracks.'

~From Spaces for Silence, by Alen Macweeney and Caro Ness

Read more...

Day 26: Meditation Challenge ~ Just Walk

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.

Still having technical difficulties uploading the MP3 of the "Meditation Challenge Conference Call" to our server for your listening pleasure. Hopefully tomorrow!

Besides metta, I am also a lover of walking meditation.

I discovered it in 1994 when my health failed and I took a year off to reclaim my vigor—to find and reclaim my self. Walking mindfully helped bring me back to center. It cured much of what ailed me.

I was lucky. I had a beautiful place to walk each morning. I was "regular" and faithful to this practice, because who wouldn't want to greet the day (once the kids were off to school) communing with sun, sand, and surf.

I walked the shore of the "big lake," as we call it here in Michigan. I could match my steps with my breath and the waves crashing upon the shore. Breathe in, walk, 1-2-3. Exhale, walk, 1-2-3. It felt natural to walk and count and breathe and listen to the waves. The mind becomes clear and empty. There is nothing to think about. Only walking.

One time I was so far "gone," lost in the breath and steps, I'd gone twice as far as usual. It suddenly dawned on me that I had to go back just as far as I'd come. No wonder the dog kept looking at me with a puzzled look on his face. He was probably thinking the same thing. :-)

In meditation centers, it is common practice to mix it up—periods of sitting meditation sandwiched with walking meditation. It shifts restlessness body/mind, eases aches and pains. Though that type of walking meditation is quite leisurely. One walks as if in slow motion. Meditation "zombies" we are.

Fast walking or slow, as long as we are focused on the present moment, planting our feet upon the earth in an intentional way, we are steadied. Do whatever works for you. Pure meditation.

And according to Thich Nhat Hanh anyone can do this. Here are his simple instructions. His, of course, focus on walking in a traditional way, according to Buddhist tradition:

"We walk slowly, in a relaxed way, keeping a light smile on our lips. When we practice this way, we feel deeply at ease, and our steps are those of the most secure person on Earth. All our sorrows and anxieties drop away, and peace and joy fill our hearts. Anyone can do it. It takes only a little time, a little mindfulness, and the wish to be happy."**

That is the reason why I found walking meditation—or should I say, walking meditation found me. I was not happy and I wanted to be. I was not well or at peace in my body/mind, and I desired that more than anything. So I gave myself over to the walking. I began to live with greater equanimity ...

Walking meditation is a supreme form of concentration meditation. By focusing on a specific something—the breath, your feet on the earth, counting, a visualization of some kind—we corral the mind, leading it from chaos to calm. Amazing how something so simple as walking with intention can do that. 

Over the years, I have led mindfulness retreats myself, and I always introduce walking meditation. I provide index cards with exercises on them, techniques to try while walking, whether in the room or out-of-doors. Each of these is sourced in a method honed by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Here is one of my favorites:
"Walk Like a Tiger—When you begin to practice walking meditation, you might feel unbalanced, like a baby learning to walk. Follow your breathing, dwell mindfully on your steps, and soon you will find your balance. Visualize a tiger walking slowly, and you will find that your steps become as majestic as his."** 

Perhaps you'd like to try some walking meditation today. And don't be afraid to smile while you are doing it. The smile can bring even greater ease ...

~~~~~
**The Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh. A delightful pocket-sized guide to mindful walking. (1996, Parallax Press) 

As always, I welcome your comments ...


Blessings,

Jan
Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 26,  My Meditation Experience
Last night I did a simple breathing meditation, focusing on the natural gap that exists between the in-breath and the out-breath. This morning I did an open-eyed listening, watching, meditation in the semi-dark, simply being with the light of day as it dawned.....Stillness

Recommended Resources:

You may enjoy this article on walking meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh. It offers a very simple mantra to say to yourself while walking. I've used this technique and it is very helfpul for bringing us back to "this wonderful moment" as Thay says. Click here. 

 Inspiration

Walk for All Beings: 

     The air is cleanest in the early morning and late evening. That is the best time to enjoy walking meditation. Allow the energy of that pure air to enter you.

     When you practice walking meditation in the morning, your movements will become smooth and your mind will become alert. You will be more aware of what you are doing all day long. In making decisions, you will find that you are more calm and clear, with more insight and compassion. With each peaceful step you take, all beings, near and far, will benefit.

Thich Nhat Hanh, The Long Road Turns to Joy

(Lake photo courtesy of panoramio.comhttp://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/3324720.jpg.Walking meditation photo courtesy of www.plumvillage.org)

 

Read more...

Day 25: Meditation Challenge ~ Why I Do Metta

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge. 

Our teleconference went fabulously yesterday and I will post the MP3 tomorrow. Technical difficulties. :-) Thank you to those who participated!


Today is our 25th day of meditating and we are winding our way down. I'm noticing plenty of things about myself, are you?

Here's one of them.

My primary meditation form which I love, appreciate, and grow with is metta—lovingkindness meditation.  I now know that for a fact. I hope it always will be. Throughout my life and especially here (through the Challenge), I've explored plenty of meditation forms. But metta holds my heart ... Here's why:

Metta softens me.

It opens me up like a many petaled flower.

When I say the 4 lines—first, for myself—

May I be happy.

May I be healthy and strong.

May I be safe.

May I be peaceful and at ease.**

—I remember that it is good to be kind to myself; to hold myself in loving embrace as I am; to be gentle, open, forgiving, accepting.

When I repeat the 4 lines again, it opens me up—flower that I am—to other flowers:
wise others, loved ones, friends, YOU, people I don't even know, everyone on the planet.

Metta helps me connect with YOUR essence, your inner beauty, your pain and suffering. Again, I am softened into compassion. I bloom.

I take metta mindset with me wherever I go. It is portable peace. I stand in the line at the grocery store, noticing someone's downcast face. "May you find ease and be happy today."

In American Eagle, music blaring, shopping with my teen daughter, I notice a young mother struggling with two babies in a stroller. She is trying to shop for herself, yet her children tug and pull. Her frustration grows. "May you be patient. May you be relaxed and happy."

This morning my husband awoke with his "ego blaring," as he puts it. I lay my hand on his heart center and offer metta silently, "My love, may you be at peace today. May your day unfold with ease."

This is why I do metta. It lets me lead with love.

Today ...

May YOU be happy. 

May you be well, healthy, and strong for the day ahead.

May you be safe and secure.

May you be peaceful and at ease with the circumstances of your life ...

As always, I welcome your thoughts ...

Blessings,
Jan

* The 4-phrases of metta, (well-wishing/blessing) can be customized to suit your thoughts and feelings at the time. It is not a rigid practice...Though the lines traditionally focus on happiness, safety, mental and physical well-being, and peace. For a more thorough understanding of metta, click here.


Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 25, My Meditation Experience

I sat Zazen with Jundo, again! I really am loving this. Today was a different teacher who, oh so gently, taught about form. I appreciated his approach. Not rigid, full of flow and compassion for self. If you are sitting, and concerned about posture do's and don'ts, check this out. I also did metta ...

Recommended Resources:

You may enjoy this short You Tube presentation of Sylvia Boorstein leading metta meditation from "My Path TV." It's so clear, very helpful. And you get to feel her peaceful energy. :-) Enjoy!

Inspiration:
"Blessing is not a technique or a recipe to follow but a creative and loving act of standing in the blessing of your own life and configuring yourself to this moment."


"The art of blessing is any event that enables us to experience in any degree the unobstructed world. To embody the spirit of this world such that others may experience it as well is what the art of blessing is all about." 

"Where two or more are gathered in the name of that which loves, that which is compassionate, that which liberates, there blessing is also."


~Excerpted from Blessing: The Art and the Practice by David Spangler (2001, Riverhead Books)
Check out David's blog: starshamansview.blogspot.com. He was one of the co-founders of the Findhorn Community and is a proponent of incarnational spirituality. 

~~~~~



Congratulations! Winners to announce. Laura (Shine the Divine) is the winner of Joann's artwork from the post "Creativity as Meditation." Enjoy!

Carolynn (Glowing Ember) and Angela (Seeking Simplicity) are the winners from the post on "A Jewish Meditation Practice." They each won a creativity coaching session with Laura (Shine the Divine). Congratulations!

Read more...

Day 24: Meditation Challenge ~ Get Super Calm

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.

Today is our 28-Day Meditation teleconference (free!) at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Everyone is welcome! However, you must register to be in on the conference call  and there is still time if you register by noon, EST. Just send me an e-mail with the word "Register" in the subject line through the Contact box at awakenedliving.com. I'll send you an invite. An MP3 will be posted for those who cannot attend "live." I am really looking forward to meeting up with you in this way!

Today's thoughts ...

According to author and meditation coach, Mark Thornton, our lives are lived at warp speed. I know this to be true. In fact, it is something I often struggle with. I am a "slow goer" and rushing does not serve me well. (Stress!) But Mark claims that you can be "super busy, super successful, and super calm at the same time. No matter what you do, there are simple quick, and sure-fire ways to swim in the ocean of calm." I'm starting to agree ...

Mark has authored one of my favorite books, Meditation in a New York Minute: Super Calm for the Super Busy. I love this book because it tells the truth about our lives. In a practical, straightforward manner he lays out dozens of techniques for getting super calm—quick—in the midst of very busy lives.

Over the last few weeks, many of you have said you just cannot get your thoughts to slow down. Plopping yourself down on a meditation cushion has not helped. It might be that you (like me) could benefit from a toolbox of techniques to slow your thoughts, calm that busy mind, and ease a tense body. Mark's book is perfect for that. Then, once you feel a greater sense of calm, slide into meditation.

Here are "Three Quick Tips for Calm" from his book. Perhaps they will help. There are many more like these.

1. Notice if you are clenching your jaw. For the next five, minutes, allow the muscles in your jaw to relax. Notice ten times throughout the day if your jaw has become clenched and tight. Less tension here makes you feel less stressed.

2. Place a finger in the middle of your eyebrows. Lower your head forward so your chin is close to your chest. Close your eyes, and focus your eyes on your finger tip for one minute. It's fine if your eyelids flutter. This breaks the pattern of stressful thoughts and creates calm.

3. Take your cell phone. Change the welcome display to "Calm Now" or "Breathe!" or "Super Calm Now!" This will be a constant reminder to practice creating calm.

I admit, I had to laugh when I read the third one. I actually DO wear a watch that says "NOW." I purchased it for that purpose. When I look at it, I am reminded to take a breath and come back to the present moment. And it works!

I hope the Challenge continues to be helpful to you. I've been pretty faithful to my commitment to sit. In fact, I think I've rounded the bend. Its Day 24 and I actually look forward to finding a special time in each day to be just with myself—to go slowly, breathe, and smile.

I think I've created a habit ...

As always, I welcome your comments ...

Blessings,
Jan

Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 24, My Meditation Experience

I sat Zazen with Jundo. This one was superb, all about the mind as sky, thoughts as clouds, and how to be well with both! I loved it. Not either or, good or bad, more of just being neutral with what clouds pass through. Here's the link.
I am so glad that I found this daily video series to help me with the Challenge. It has been a gift!

Recommended Resources:

Enjoy this very insightful article on "Stress and Meditation"at WildMind.Org.  

"Meditation, however, not only involves relaxation (the cessation of unnecessary effort) but promotes mindfulness, which helps the stress-sufferer to recognize unhelpful patterns of thought that give rise to the stress response, and also involves the active cultivation of positive mental states such as lovingkindness, compassion, patience, and energy."

Inspiration:

"Help! When I meditate I have a thousand thoughts running through my head."

This is the most common experience for meditators. The solution is to get into your body. Do some brief physical exercise to enliven your body prior to your practice. this can range from simply rolling your shoulders and stretching to vigorously shaking your hands or running on the spot. This will help calm your mind."

~Mark Thornton, Meditation in a New York Minute (Sounds True, 2004)

(Image courtesy of skateboarding.transworld.net)

Read more...

Day 22 - 23: Meditation Challenge ~Free Teleconference Sign-Up; Meditation as Prayer with Sylvia Boorstein

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.

My (free!) Meditation Teleconference is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). This will be a 1-hour call. Everyone is welcome, even if you have just joined us, fallen off in your meditation practice, whatever. Please join in!

Here's the topics/format:

1. We'll introduce ourselves. Yes, really! You get to talk (rather than be muted) on this call. We will hear each others' voices. It will be a BLOGGER reunion. :-)

2. I'll reveal the biggest breakthrough meditation tip I've learned lately.

3. Learn a groundbreaking strategy for dealing with wild emotions. (This technique is truly changing my life.) I am so eager to share it with you!

4. I'll lead a guided meditation: "Clearing Out Inner Clutter"

5. Live question and answer! You can also send your questions to me ahead of time if you like.

You will need to register. Just send me an e-mail through the Contact Box at my website: awakenedliving.com. I will send you an e-mail with instructions for dialing in to the Conference. I can't wait to meet you there!
~~~~~

It's time to "Ask an Expert" again. 

I've been wondering ... Is there a difference between prayer and meditation? 


When I began to think about all the "experts" I have the privilege to know, without a doubt I knew who to ask: 

Sylvia Boorstein.

Sylvia may just be the most beloved Western teacher of mindfulness, meditation, including metta. She teaches in the Insight (Vipassana) tradition of Buddhism and is one of the co-founders of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Ca. She is also a practicing Jew who keeps a kosher home, celebrates traditional holidays, and participates in temple. She is a blessing in the lives of so many—as an author and mentor and all around wise woman—whose gentleness and humor guides us ever deeper. Plus she tells a darn good story! I feel especially blessed because she is my "anamcara," my soul friend and mentor. (See her complete bio below.)

I'd been reading Sylvia's newest book, Happiness is an Inside Job, and noticed that often she used the words "meditation" and "prayer" interchangeably. So, I thought I'd ask her to explain how she perceives this. Here is her insightful response:

One of my mindfulness teachers, many years ago, said this of meditation: By just sitting down we are saying, "Here I am God. Do whatever you want with me." 

I took this as an instruction as well as a summary intention for spiritual practice. "May I meet this moment fully, May I meet it as a friend," is how I say it for myself. You might think of it as well as, "May I be open to whatever rises in this moment," or, "May my mind and heart be steady as I sit here, and as I live my life." 

Whatever particular meditation practice we do, we are ardently hoping, indeed praying, for a peaceful and compassionate heart, for our own well being and for the well being of others. The very act of stopping to reorient ourselves—which is central to all meditation and prayer practices—and to focus our intention for the good, is a prayer.

There it is Jan, I hope that works. Blessings on the 28-Day Meditation Challenge!

Thank you, Sylvia, for expanding our notion of prayer and meditation. Indeed, may we all focus our intention for the good—for ourselves and for all beings. Namaste!
~~~~~

Sylvia has asked if I could share good news with you of an online "Lovingkindness"retreat she is teaching through SpiritualityandPractice.com. I am happy to do so. Scroll down to the Resources section below and read all about it! I will definitely be there myself. :-)

Dear friends, what Sylvia shared here has touched me deeply. I keep pondering and holding it: "The very act of stopping to reorient ourselves...is a prayer." I cannot express how much I love this thought. It is changing me ... May I—may we—pray all day long ...

As always, I welcome your comments ...

Love and Blessings,

Jan

Sylvia Boorstein has been teaching since 1985 and teaches both vipassana and metta meditation. She is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and a psychotherapist, wife, mother, and grandmother who is particularly interested in seeing daily life as practice. Her books include It’s Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness; Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There: A Mindfulness Retreat; That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Buddhist: On Being a Faithful Jew and a Passionate Buddhist; Pay Attention for Goodness' Sake: The Buddhist Path of Kindness; and Happiness Is an Inside Job. www.sylviaboorstein.com.www.sylviaboorstein.com
Her books are available in bookstores everywhere and at amazon.com.
 
Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Days 22 -23,  My Meditation Experience
 
Jan. 22 - I am just back from traveling and much of the time I felt as if I was in a state of walking meditation. I "sat in Presence" with mentees and directees, one-on-one for an hour at a time. I led a soulful day retreat for women. Truly it felt like a prayer ... all of it.


Jan. 23rd -  I sat Zazen with Jundo. Perhaps my favorite episode yet: stop searching, settle into stillness.


Recommended Resources:
A 4-Week Online Lovingkindness ("metta") Retreat with Sylvia Boorstein begins March 15.

"This Lovingkindness Online Retreat will help you live with ease and less confusion. Offered during Easter and Passover, it is a perfect way to integrate the wisdom of a profound Buddhist practice into these holy days in the Christian and Jewish traditions, offering you a well-rounded and expansive view of a universal human desire to love and to love well."

Retreat highlights include: 12 e-mail lessons with audio component, 3 live evening teleconferences, participation in an online practice circle. Click here to learn more or to register. This is a very unique offering with one of our greatest spiritual teachers.

Inspiration:

From Sylvia...

A liberating insight is not something I can produce on demand. I cannot decide, “Tomorrow morning at 10:30 I will have a profound new perspective on this area of difficulty in my life.” I can, however, set up the conditions in which liberating insights are likely to arise. In time set apart for retreat there are no diversions. When I was a child, we stayed home on the Sabbath since travel was considered a form of work. Now I think of a retreat as not traveling far from myself, not hiding from myself, and as getting to know myself better. I know that as I begin to see more clearly how I am and how my own mind gets tired and tied in knots of confusion, I see more clearly—and more compassionately—that that must be true of everyone else. 
(Read the complete article here and learn how to set up your own, "at-home" mindfulness retreat with Sylvia's help.)

(Praying hands image courtesy of http://www.rlccphil.co.cc)

Read more...

Day 20 - 21: Meditation Challenge ~ A Jewish Meditation Practice, Guest, and Giveaway!

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.

Yesterday, I announced the details of our 28-Day Meditation teleconference (free!) is scheduled for next week, Tuesday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Everyone is welcome! However, you must register to be in on the conference call. There are 96 slots available. To do so, go to the Contact Box at my website: http://www.awakenedliving.com/ Send me an e-mail with the word "Register" in the subject line. By Sunday, I will confirm your reservation with an e-mail about how to call in. An MP3 will be posted for those who cannot attend "live." Read Tuesday's post for ALL the details. 

Even if you just found the Challenge, or if you committed and aren't meditating regularly, no worries. Join us, no matter what!

Please welcome today's very special guest, a soulful and creative woman, Laura Hegfield, from Shine the Divine. She is a creativity coach who delights in companioning others into a greater daily experience of the Sacred, especially through creativity and "Soul Collage."

She is also a devout Jew, and because I am an interspiritual gal, I was curious if Laura had a meditation practiced rooted in Judaism. She does, and today, she shares it with us—a prayer/meditation practice called "Modah." It's stunning, beautiful, and when you listen to the MP3 she has provided for us here—of her singing it— you will swoon! She has the voice of an angel, which is quite the feat, because Laura has MS, and one of the ways she has been affected is a change in her speaking voice. But as she told me, MS has not impacted her singing voice! Listen for yourself. .

Laura has also graciously agreed to Giveaway 2 free one-hour creativity coaching sessions! 
To learn more about her coaching, click here. So leave a comment here today and you will be eligible to win. :-) Enjoy!


Q.  Is there a particular form of meditation or a practice rooted in Judaism that you could share with our readers?

Laura: The first thing that jumps into my mind reading your question, the most basic practice that I do daily without fail, is also the very first conscious thing that pops into my mind every morning. I recite a traditional Jewish prayer of gratitude, Modah Ani. Now this isn’t specifically a meditation, it is a morning prayer, the first prayer of the day. When the prayer first comes into my mind it begins as words and melody, but I’m too sleepy to recognize meaning or intention yet. Gradually that changes and it becomes a true mindfulness practice. Let me paint a picture of how this simple morning ritual unfolds for me.

My eyes are still closed. I am in that liminal space; not awake, not asleep. Consciousness begins to dawn with the sun and it occurs to me that I am waking up. It is automatic at first, like an alarm clock that isn’t alarming at all. I chant this prayer in my mind in Hebrew. The kids and my husband are still sleeping when I wake up in my house at 5am so I don’t chant aloud at this time of day. My mind is still sluggish along with my body, but I begin to really understand that I am indeed waking up. I am present. I am grateful that I am awake, grateful that I am alive.

This is a transliteration of the Hebrew and a translation of the prayer into English that I like:
Modah ani l’fanecha, melech chai v’kayam shehechezarta bi nishmati v’chemla raba emunatecha.

I thank you God, eternal One for lovingly restoring my soul to me, filled with your eternal trust.

I sit up on the edge of my pillow, still in bed and continue the chant in my mind. I notice how I’m sitting; adjust the pillow so that my knees fall down a bit lower than my hips. If I am slumped from sleepiness, I strengthen my core, drop my shoulders back and down, bring awareness to the position of my head, my chin, my jaw and subtly shift into alignment. I draw attention to my breath flowing in and out of me. The chant is still repeating over and over in the background of my mind as I attend to these physical adjustments. I allow the meaning of the words to open my heart, waking up a little more to the reality that I am present. I am grateful that I am awake, grateful that I am alive. I am ready to live a day with soulful awareness, to carry that awareness with me through the mundane tasks of living that are ahead. The chant drops away and I am left with pure mindfulness…noticing my breath, thoughts arising, emotions, physical sensations…whatever is present.

Sometimes the chant starts again involuntarily, reminding me that my mind has wandered, I’m not with my breath, with sensation. I’m back in liminality, or temporarily caught in thinking about the rest of the day, the mundane tasks of living I just mentioned. But the tasks are still in my mind. In reality I’m not physically doing them yet. I’m still here in bed. It’s ok though, because here is the gentle wake up call sounding in my mind again to let me know that I can think later, do later, but now is a time for gratitude, for presence to Presence, to my self, my well-rested soul and body. I lovingly turn my attention back to the moment, to breath, in…out…rising…falling…returning again and again like my pure soul each morning.

I sit this way for 5, 10, 20 minutes each morning depending on the time I began and whether or not it’s a school day for my girls…because the world of doing is creeping in and I’m a Mom with two teenage daughters. I know from direct experience that even 5 minutes of this kind of awareness will make a difference in how I move through the day and interact with others. Now there are certainly days in which 5 minutes isn't even possible first thing in the morning—I wake up late, one of the girls needs me immediately! Still, before I open my eyes to answer the plea of a frustrated teenager who can't find her favorite pair of jeans, I at least say the prayer once in my mind. Then I open my eyes and try to remember where she left her jeans-as if I magically know the answer to this!!! Well, this is life, it happens this way sometimes, but not usually; the gift of being an early riser means I am a much calmer Mom when the seemingly inevitable morning rush/panic begins.

Waking up to gratitude grounds my soul in the here and now. I feel so blessed that this prayer is part of my religious heritage, a prayer I witnessed my Grandmother offering every morning when I was a child. I feel honored that you asked me about this Jan and that I can offer it up to readers here on your blog as a practice they can integrate into their mornings if it resonates for them.

I’m including an mp3 of me chanting this prayer aloud so readers can hear what I hear inside my head and learn the chant for themselves if they want to.
  
I'm also including the transliteration of the Hebrew once again with the repetition of the 3 last words to make it easier to follow along with the mp3:

http://www.awakenedliving.com/podcasts/Hegfieldmodah.mp3

Modah ani l’fanecha,

melech chai v’kayam

shehechezarta bi nishmati

v’chemla, v’chemla

raba emunatecha. raba emunatecha

Thank you, Laura, for sharing this beautiful practice with us. And I sure hope everyone listened to the MP3 because it is amazing. I am so grateful you created this just for us!
As always, we welcome your thoughts ...

Learn more about Laura Hegfield, her blogs and creativity coaching at shinethedivinecreativitycoaching.blogspot.com
 
(Photo of trees courtesy of Laura Hegfield)

Blessings,

Jan
Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 20-21,  My Meditation Experience
Still traveling. I'm having wonderful insights about my practice, and will update you when I return! Believe, breathe, and be well.

Recommended Resources:

From Laura:

My meditation teacher, Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg is a founding member of both of the following two resources below:

http://www.awakenedheartproject.org./ "The mission of Awakened Heart Project is to promote the use of Jewish contemplative techniques that foster the development of a heart of wisdom and compassion."

There are actually quite a few books available on the topic of Jewish meditation...this one is a classic:

Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide by Aryeh Kaplan

 Inspiration:

... spirit and body are not separate at all. Nor is spirituality a special feeling, or a trance, or a vision, although such phenomena may accompany some spiritual practices. Rather, because Being is omnipresent, the experience of spirituality is nothing more or less than a deep, rich experience of ordinary reality. Realization is simply waking up. And the body, because it is always present here and now, is both the best vehicle for doing so, on the one hand, and, on the other, how holiness expresses itself in the world. 

~Jay Michaelson, God in Your Body: Kabbalah, Mindfulness and Embodied Spiritual Practice

Read more...

Day 19: Meditation Challenge ~ Get Up and Dance Your Way into Meditation!

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.
In Tuesday's post, I announced the details of our 28-Day Meditation teleconference (free!) is scheduled for next week, Tuesday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Everyone is welcome! However, you must register to be in on the conference call. There are 96 slots available. To do so, go to the Contact Box at my website: http://www.awakenedliving.com/ Send me an e-mail with the word "Register" in the subject line. By Sunday, I will confirm your reservation with an e-mail about how to call in. An MP3 will be posted for those who cannot attend "live." Read Tuesday's post for ALL the details. 

Even if you just found the Challenge, or if you committed and aren't meditating regularly, no worries. Join us, no matter what!

Please welcome today's very special guest, another wildly creative woman, Christine Reed, from Bliss Chick! 

She's offering us a fresh and completely different perspective on meditation. It's about getting up and moving, dancing your way into calm, clarity—bliss even. But most of all, what Christine advocates is how we movement can help us embody our truest self! Without further ado, Christine ...

Dancing into Our Essence

In this culture, we have a tendency to see the Brain/Mind as supreme and separate from our Bodies. This split was articulated best (or worst) by Descartes, when he said, "I think, therefore I am."

In much (not all) of the current "spiritual" thinking, this split is exemplified in the attempt to transcend our bodies in a variety of ways. For many, the process of meditation implies that consciousness, for example, resides in the Brain/Mind. For many, "real" meditation only can happen, therefore, when the body is still or tamed. Whether we are sitting on a cushion or staying in a yoga pose for an extended period, we think that to find peace or enlightenment, we must control or lessen movement.

I come at this from a completely different perspective.

As a person who has spent the majority of her life suffering from severe depression and anxiety, I have come to know my Brain/Mind as one of the tools of these dis-ease processes. I am not so keen, therefore, to spend more time with this generator of thought and obsession.

I would challenge Descartes and say that "I sense and move, therefore I am."

I would challenge mainstream science and say that consciousness does not reside in brain activity but rather in my body.

My whole body, in which my Brain is just one organ. (Brain is an important organ, as I think to know one's stories is vital to health but that is a whole other piece of writing.)

Brain gets way too much credit—or blame—in our search for happiness.

I am healthy and happy when I am spending the majority of my day moving, being, tasting, smelling, hearing, touching.

I am healthy and happy when I live from a place of instinct, which comes from accumulating sensory information.

I am healthiest and happiest when I dance.

It is through dance that I achieve a state of utter and complete awareness. That state where I just am. That state that is purely of the Now.

My past is a story when I dance. My future is an idea.

My present moment is my Whole Life when I dance.

I do not have to ward off, fight off, observe away thoughts, because I am Pure Being, Doing, Sensing when I dance.

I lose My Self—the ego that gets in the way of Fully Living.

I find My Self—the essence that leads me always in the right direction, that which points toward Joy.

This all happens on a body level.

We have always danced, we humans, since we stood upright. It is basic to our genetic makeup. Dance is life. It is a lesson in reacting to the moment and to the breath and the external vibrations of music. It is learning to go with the flow and live through the rhythms.

When I dance, life is not a mere illusion constructed by Brain. No. When I dance, life is a bodily experience that only gets more beautiful, more bountiful, more blissful, more real.

Christine Reed describes herself as a Mystical Catholic Yogini. "That's as simple as it gets for this Chick. Though I am a SeriousChick, I am also a SillyChick and a GlitterChick and a GeekChick and a SciFiChick. During my 40th year (2009), I rediscovered my Dancer self, and my life changed for the better more radically than I ever could have imagined." Today, she is a certified YogaDance instructor.

Visit her website to learn more about her. http://www.blisschick.net/

Thank you, Christine, for opening us up to a new way of thinking about life and meditation.  May we allow our bodies to feel, express our inner wisdom, and revel in the fullness of life!

As always, we welcome your thoughts ...

Blessings,

Jan

(Dance image courtesy of http://pollux.usc.edu)


Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 19,  My Meditation Experience
I'm traveling for 3 days but I have every intention of meditating. I've packed my prayer beads. My iPod is loaded up with guided meditations. And I am carrying my breath with me— Portable Peace! I'll let you know how it goes!


Resources:
These from Christine:
"Let Your Yoga Dance" page with Megha, my teacher from Kripalu:  http://ssomail.charter.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.letyouryogadance.com%252F

This is an excellent (available online) magazine that's about dance as a path:  http://ssomail.charter.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.consciousdancer.com%252F

And of course, there's Gabrielle Roth's 5 Rhythms:
http://ssomail.charter.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.gabrielleroth.com%252F

Inspiration:

Your body is the place where heaven and earth meet. 

~Jay Michaelson, God in Your Body: Kabbalah, Mindfulness and Embodied Spiritual Practice

Breathing, the dancer moves

Spirit gently bonding with her soul

  dancing with bone and breath.

Her soul, infused with spirit

  is shaping her body, and her body, her soul.

Body and soul become as one,

  living moving being.

~Carla DeSola, as quoted in Praying with Body and Soul by Jane Venard

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Day 18: Meditation Challenge ~ Creativity as Meditation, a Guest, and a Giveaway!

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.

Yesterday, I announced the details of our 28-Day Meditation teleconference (free!) is scheduled for next week, Tuesday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Everyone is welcome! However, you must register to be in on the conference call. There are 96 slots available. To do so, go to the Contact Box at my website: www.awakenedliving.com. Send me an e-mail with the word "Register" in the subject line. By Sunday, I will confirm your reservation with an e-mail about how to call in. An MP3 will be posted for those who cannot attend "live." Read Tuesday's post for ALL the details. 

Even if you just found the Challenge, or if you committed and aren't meditating regularly, no worries. Join us, no matter what!

Please welcome today's very special guest, a wildly creative woman, Joanne Rose, from Breathe As Me.  

She is one of the most soulful women I have had the pleasure to meet through the blogosphere. Joanne lives a deeply contemplative life and is passionate about her journey as an artist—as well as how that chosen path takes her deeper into living life itself as a meditation. 

Joanne has graciously offered to Giveaway a 5 x 7 print of the artistic rendering of the spirited lady pictured above. Make a comment here and you'll be eligible to win! Without further ado ...

Wise words on creativity—and meditative breathing for living—from Joanne ...



Meditation has often been described as a practice of mindfulness, of engagement in the present moment, calm and focused, neither reacting to nor identifying with thoughts of the past or the future. Meditation opens pathways to deeper understanding as we become more relaxed and receptive, focused and centered. Not surprisingly, most forms of meditation teach us to focus on our breath as a central point of our awareness. Through our inhale we breathe into our body, spirit and mind, and through our exhale we offer our response.

In my own practice, creativity is a dynamic, breathing form of meditation. With every inhale, i receive from something greater than myself that i do not fully understand, but do not need to fully understand in order to open and be of service to it. i simply need to breathe in...

Creative time does not mean being devoid of thought, but rather thoughts flow more easily with less tendency to dam up... i experience freedom from the tendency to grasp hold of thoughts and run away into the wilderness with them, where i may build them into overwhelming narratives having little resemblance to reality. There is something mysterious and indescribable about the vastness of creativity, and yet it is accessible and always close by. The subsequent action that results from my participation in the creative process is the exhale. There is listening (inhale)... and acting (exhale) ... observing (inhale)... and responding (exhale)... receiving (inhale)... and giving (exhale)....

To create is to be awake and alive, experiencing fully the sensuality of sights, sounds, smells and textures. It breaks me out of self-imposed boxes, and surprises me by manifesting in a different embodiment every day. It is prayer and meditation, exists outside the boundaries of time, brings the formless into form, deepens my understanding of myself and others, and assists me in being the person I want to be in every one of life's moments. It is a reminder to be here right now, to notice, to give back in gratitude, and in so doing increase the value of every moment.

At all times in our lives we are breathing, opening ourselves in our every inhale, and then acting on what we have received through our every exhale. Most of us can relate to having had times when we open ourselves to the inhale of frustration, fear, anger, hurt, and any number of other toxic things, which subsequently show up in negative ways in our responses and actions toward ourselves and others. Creativity provides an ever-present source through which we can practice being receptive to more of what we want from our higher self (inhale) ... and subsequently respond in ways that are more centered, balanced and compassionate toward both ourselves and others (exhale)...

Without exception, we are all creative. We create our lives every single moment of every day, and give something back to every one of those moments. The question is, what is it we are creating, and what are we giving? Creativity as a meditative practice can help bring us into better alignment with what we want to invite more of into our lives when we inhale, and likewise respond to in our lives through our exhale.


I call creativity a mansion, and in this mansion I find many rooms to explore... rooms of beauty, play, understanding, compassion, inspiration, self expression, truth, light, shadows, tolerance, passion, and love. This mansion is inclusive and welcomes all who enter. It stands steadfast like a lighthouse shining its beacon for all of us... (especially those of us who are lost and weary travelers)... leading us safely back home to the light of truth inside our own hearts.

Joanne Rose is living a creatively inspired mixed media life in sunny southern California. Her passions include creating with paint, words, photographs, fabric and beads, taking contemplative nature walks with camera in hand, and encouraging others to believe in, and reach for, their loftiest of dreams. Her blog may be found at http://breatheasme.com

Thank you, Joanne, for expanding our notion of creativity. May we express ours and allow it to give us life ... and serve others in the process.

As always, we welcome your comments ...

Blessings,

Jan
Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 18,  My Meditation Experience

Yesterday I struggled. I kept putting off my meditation time because I had so much "to do," or so I thought. I waited until evening, thinking I would be more receptive, but then I was just tired. What was interesting to me was that even though I was incredibly busy throughout the day, I was not stressed. I felt very mindful, intentional, peaceful, about all my activities. I did do a little metta. I look forward to today as I am driving 3 hours in the car and I have no radio. Blessed silence! And I will sit zazen with Jundo now to begin my morning. I hope you all have a really good day!

Recommended Resources:

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. 

The best book I know that ties the creative process in with the spiritual while rediscovering your truest self. Beginning with "morning pages," we write without "police," connecting with our inner artist and heart. The practice itself can be meditation. There is now an online version of the course available, too! Take a peek at her website. A wealth of resources. www.juliacameron.com 

Inspiration:

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once (s)he grows up. 

~Pablo Picasso

Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.

~Rene-Francois-Ghislain Magritte

In the esoteric Judaism of the Cabalah, the Deep Self is named the Neshamah, from the root of Shmhm, "to hear or listen": the Neshamah is She Who Listens, the soul who inspires us and guides us.

~Starhawk

Read more...

Day 17: Meditation Challenge ~ Meditation Teleconference Announcement and Meditation for Haiti

Welcome, to my 28-Meditation Challenge.

If you have joined us late, that is just fine. If you'd like to "officially" join in, simply leave a comment here that says, "I'm in!" and I will add you to the Challenge Roster. Or, send me an e-mail through the Contact Box at my website: awakenedliving.com. You may want to catch up by reading the previous posts. We are glad you are here! 

Each day we come here, even if we have not meditated as we'd hoped, we begin again.
Start where you are ... 

Announcements: 
1.) Our 28-Day Meditation teleconference (free, by the way) is scheduled for next week, Tuesday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Everyone is welcome!

However, you must register to be in on the conference call. There are 96 slots available.

How to Register: Go to the Contact Box at my website: www.awakenedliving.com. Send me an e-mail with the word "Register" in the subject line. By Sunday, I will confirm your reservation with an e-mail and provide all the details.

Teleconference Content: I will be presenting the most powerful meditation technique I have learned to date. It involves working with strong emotions. I guarantee it will shift things for you internally. It sure did me! We will also meditate ~ together! And you can ask questions, too!

The call will be live so we can connect with one another heart-to-heart. An MP3 will be posted for those who cannot attend.

If you can't attend at 2:00 pm. that day, let me know. If there is enough interest, we can do a second call at 8:00 p.m. EST, but you will have to let me know. Note that in your e-mail registration note to me. Thank you! I am very excited about this and can't wait to hear your voices.

2.) This is a busy week for me and I am traveling downstate to meet with directees/mentees and lead a women's day retreat. (Click here for details!). So I have invited some special guests to fill in. I'll be checking in in the evening, but here's the line-up!

Wednesday: "Creativity as Meditation" with Joanne from Breathe as Me, one of the most creative women I know. She'll be hosting a giveaway to for one of her lovely art prints!

Thursday: "Movement as Meditation" with Christine from BlissChick, a yoga-dance instructor. Woo-hoo!

Friday: "Meditation and Sacred Chant" with Laura from Shine the Divine. Laura has 2 surprises for us. An MP3 of her singing a Jewish mantra/prayer and a giveaway of 2 free one-hour creativity coaching sessions. Wow!

Ya'll come!

All of us have been disheartened by the devastating news from Haiti. I felt it appropriate to suggest that we dedicate one of our personal meditation sessions to uplift the victims of this tragedy. How?

One such practice is Tonglen. This is how it works. See it demonstrated for yourself here by Pema Chodron. Here is a summary.

When something uncomfortable arises, instead of trying to get rid of it, we breathe it in. We let the story line go (what we are saying to ourselves about this, i.e. this is bad, distasteful, shameful, angry, etc) and simply breathe it in. We take in the pain, rage, fear, or hopelessness of others. We breathe it in for the people of Haiti—or for the children, the women, the families, the elderly, whomever touches your heart.

Then we breathe it out, sending out a sense of spaciousness, freshness, freedom. As Pema Chodron advises, "We do this with the wish that all of us could relax and experience the innermost essence of our mind." 

Tonglon affirms our kinship with others. It acknowledges that everyone wants to be happy. No one wants to suffer. Aligning ourselves with the suffering of others opens our hearts and builds compassion.

Tonglon is not for wimps. It may not be for you if you are new to meditation, because working with difficult emotions can be tricky. Use your own judgment, or go for a softer, more spacious kind of blessing practice for the victims.

Metta is very good for this. To hear this demonstrated by Sharon Salzberg, click here.

Here's my version. Simply bring your attention to your heart center. Breathe in deeply and allow it to open. Imagine the others whom you wish to serve with your prayer as standing in front of you. Send beams of love from your heart to theirs while saying these phrases. Pause and breathe between phrases:

May you be safe.

May you be healthy and strong.

May you be happy. 

May you be peaceful and at ease.

Feel free to substitute the phrases with words that have meaning for you. Customize the practice to convey what you really desire for these suffering individuals.

Today, and for as many days as we need to, may we dedicate our practice to relieving the suffering of others. May all beings be blessed by these efforts. May all be free from pain, worry, hunger, homelessness, disease, fear. May all beings live with ease ...

I'm interested in YOUR ideas on how to include suffering individuals like the people of Haiti in a meditation/prayer practice.

Please share ...

Blessings,

Jan
Read on ...

From Where I Sit — Day 17,  My Meditation Experience

Yesterday I did an guided metta meditation on "Lovingkindness for Ourselves" from Sharon Salzberg's book/cd "The Force of Kindness." It helped me relax and sleep well as I'd had a rather intense afternoon.


   

Recommended Resources:
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron is one of my all-time favorite books. I found it when my life was falling apart many years ago. Her centered presence, wisdom, and tried-and-true practices for working with chaos is priceless. Her book, The Places that Scare You is excellent, too. I've re-read them many times.

Watch Pema Chodron on You Tube here explain the practice of maitri ~ unconditional friendliness to ourselves. Of course, the practice of maitri naturally leads to unconditional friendliness to others.

Inspiration:

Beliefnet offers a wonderful interview with Pema Chodron on "Turning Toward Pain." You can access it here.  

The interviewer asks: "Turning toward pain instead of avoiding it is a common theme in your books."

PC: Yes, because I realized what a source of happiness turning toward pain actually is. Our avoidance of pain keeps us locked in a cycle of suffering. The Buddha said that what we take to be solid isn't really solid. It's fluid. It's dynamic energy. And not only do we take our opponents and obstacles to be solid; we also believe ourselves to be solid or permanent. In the West, we add the belief that the self is bad. That night I spent meditating, I discovered that there is no solid, bad me. It's all just ineffable experience.

Read more...