The Columbia City Yoga on-line Moving into Meditation class met this morning. We practiced “right effort” by creating the conditions in which we can attune to our inner wisdom. Settling into embodied presence can help us find freedom and ease even in our heartfelt aspirations. We can invite living questions to help us go deeper to find those beginnings quietly born. May this new year bring peace to all beings.
We continued to draw from Oren Jay Sofer’s new book: Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love. We focused on how attention, aspiration and energy enable us to establish the settledness of being in which to hear our inner wisdom.
We also drew inspiration from Insight Meditation teacher, Gil Fronsdal’s teaching. Gil and his fellow teachers offer a library of talks, guided meditations and courses through AudioDharma. You can experience his talk, Desire for Right Effort, in this archive. You can hear his exploration of “What Wants to be Born” in his talk, Return to Your Center.
John O’Donohue’s poem For a New Beginning is from his collection, Anam Cara. Anam Cara is a phrase that refers to the Celtic concept of the “soul friend” in religion and spirituality..