The Yogabliss on-line Moving into Meditation class met this morning. I look forward to getting together all week long. I think about our practice and especially the joy of sharing faces and stories. This week we explored the paradox of being alone together. Our readings were inspired by Stephen Batchelor’s new book, The Art of Solitude and Terry Tempest Williams’ old book, Finding Beauty in a Broken World. Stephen is a meditation teacher and Buddhist scholar. You can listen to Finding Ease In Aloneness, a lively discussion with Krista Tippett of On Being about the difference between loneliness and intentional solitude that draws us more deeply into life. Terry Tempest Williams is an American writer, educator, conservationist, and activist. You can listen to a deeply moving conversation with Tami Simon of Sounds True. Terry shares about how she found beauty and meaning after personal and world tragedies.
Monthly Archives: April 2020
Transition & Time
The Yogabliss on-line Moving into Meditation class met this morning. What a joy it is to see each other even while framed in little boxes on a screen! Our sharing time always seems too brief: Each story describing how much we rely on each other: loved ones serving as doctors, grand parents caring for grand children and of course everyone separated from family members and friends. Our guided relaxation was inspired by two naturalists: David Abrams’ writing about our inter-relationship with the sensual world and Boyd Varty ‘s personal struggle with the “old anxiety” that surfaced while on a wilderness retreat. They invite us to slow down, look more intimately at our outer and inner worlds. I highly recommend Boyd’s daily podcast in which he describes his sojourn into solitude.
Being Where You Are Right Now
The Yogabliss on-line Moving into Meditation class met this morning. I think when we meet this way we are giving each other a personal gift – we allow ourselves to be seen in the intimacy of our homes. Thank you all for that. In preparing for today’s class reflected on how mindfulness is a practice of intimacy. When I am able to stop and really be with my own body I realize there is so much calling for my attention – often for healing. I stumbled upon a beautiful essay about healing trauma written by author Katherine Robb. Katherine is working on #TheFearGardenProject which she uses to explore small moments in every day life that might foster connection. She posts beautiful imagery and also writes essays about healing and trauma. I found her essay, Listening to the Body as a Guide Through the Trauma of COVID-19, very moving. She describes how many of us carry wounds in our bodies without our mind’s awareness or understanding. She describes her experiences of somatic – body awareness – healing as a way of being true to herself. The work is incremental and slow – very much like mindfulness practice. Continue reading
Being Held & Belonging in Meditation
The Yogabliss on-line Moving into Meditation class met in the sanctuary of our homes this morning. Coming together – even in digital space – gives me such a boost. Your presence lessens my sense of loneliness and isolation. Thank you so much for being here! Now, more than ever, we need to feel our connectedness – with each other and also that sense of true belonging with our own being . . . We’re adapting to living our lives at home. Still – we can easily get carried away by reports of what is happening to our family members, our friends, our communities and our nation. It takes a bit of energy and a bit of faith to interrupt the momentum of fear that insinuates itself into our lives. I’ve been reaching out for support as part of my daily practice. This week I enjoyed a Tara Brach’s beautiful talk about R.A.I.N. This is the technique that Tara teaches on how we can work with difficult feelings through a process of Recognition, Allowing, Investigating and Nurturing. It inspired the guided relaxation we explored in our class today. Continue reading