Making Friends With Ourselves

We had the third meeting of our Taking the Leap Meditation Book Group at Yoga Bliss yesterday.  We came together for gentle yoga practice, meditation and discussion of the next three chapters in Taking the Leap:  Getting Unstuck, We Have What We Need, Rejoicing With Things As They Are.

In our movement practice we followed the shifting fluid energy of sensory experience moment to moment, observing how thoughts can distance us from direct sensation.  We practiced labeling thoughts lightly as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral and returning to direct sensory experience.   We tried recognizing our distractions with an inner smile.

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Feeding the Right Wolf

We had the first meeting of our Taking the Leap Meditation Book Group at Yoga Bliss yesterday.  We came together for gentle yoga practice, meditation and discussion of the first chapter in Taking the Leap:  Feeding the Right Wolf.  In this chapter, Pema tells the story of a Native American grandfather speaking to his grandson about cruelty and violence in the world.  He described how it comes about by saying it was like two wolves fight in his heart.  One wolf is angry and vengeful and the other wolf is understanding and kind.  When his grandchild asked which wolf would win the fight, Grandfather answered: “The one that wins is the one I choose to feed”.

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