The Columbia City Yoga on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  Today we explored ourselves as nature.  We reflected on the intimate relationships between breath, body and the natural world around us.  We sustain each other.  We breathe and live.  We drink in the world through magical senses. We sleep and dream.

Our love for Earth inspires us to bring our caring to her preservation. In his talk, A Primordial Covenant of Relationship, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee writes:

At the heart of that ancient primordial relationship that existed, there was love. Not the Hallmark variety of love, not even the human variety of love, but a much vaster, more ancient, and simpler form of love. A covenant of love between the human and the living Earth.

We heard Robinson Jeffers invitation to “uncenter our minds from ourselves.”  In his poem Carmel Point he juxtaposes Earth time with modern man’s time and its devastating effects on Earth.

We were inspired by Ben Bushill’s beautiful prayer that we “may we save ourselves and our world – love by love.”  Ben is a poet and spoken word performer.  You can find more of his words, films and music at BenBushill.com.

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The Columbia City Yoga on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  On this Mother’s Day we explored widening our kinship with others.  We contemplated the many who have nurtured and loved us.  We imagined the many forms of ancestral inheritance we carry in our lives today.  We also contemplated what we would be offering others as ancestors-to-be.

We drew inspiration from Susan Moon’s essay Grandmother Mind.  Susan offers a creative and eloquent exploration of the many meanings of honoring our mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers.  She poses questions about who we consider to be our kin.  Finally she shares her own experience of grandmothering under the challenging conditions of pandemic imposed isolation. Susan is an accomplished writer, editor and teacher in the Soto Zen tradition.  Her compassion and humor shine in her writings.

We heard Joy Harjo’s beautiful poem Remember.  Her lyrical lines ask us to remember our human and more than human ancestors.  The repeating evocation to re-member seems to affirm our wholeness and inter-being.

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The Columbia City Yoga on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  Today we explored wholeness by listening to the inner voices that are difficult to hear.  These voices want to be heard.  They often express painful emotions and reflect underlying beliefs that cause us suffering. We created a “ministry of presence” capable of listening.  The ministry is made up of healing councils such as: “a council of forgiveness, compassion and openness.”  We then cultivated loving presence and engaged our inner council to feel, listen and care.

We drew inspiration from mediation teacher and author Sharon Salzberg’s new book, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom. In Real Live, Sharon describes how we can engage a ministry of presence and form inner councils of support. It is part of her intention to help reader’s live more expansively from the truth of their being.  Mindfulness, presence can help us to  lead authentic lives.  We can extend our ability to accept and care for others to the degree we can do this for ourselves.

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The Columbia City Yoga on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  We explored the experience of attunement.  We reflected on the widespread loneliness that afflicts so many people.  People are born in belonging.  We need belonging to flourish throughout life.  We visualized someone who loved us without judgment through good times and bad.  We rekindled the sensations and emotions enriching the memories of love. Like our meditation practice, these experiences and memories can be a resource for us in sustaining belonging in our lives.

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The Columbia City Yoga on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  This week we explored the qualities of empathy and compassion. We practiced a compassion meditation in which we directed caring and compassionate phrases to someone who is suffering.  The practice can help us turn toward suffering while offering our loving presence.  In the expansive presence of loving awareness we gain perspective as to what might serve to alleviate suffering.

We drew inspiration from mediation teacher and author Sharon Salzberg’s new book, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom. In Real Life, Sharon encourages readers to live more expansively.   When we live expansively, we have room to experience both positive and negative emotions and to view them with openness and curiosity rather than restriction and resistance. When we are willing to experience emotion we develop our capacity to extend compassion to ourselves and others.

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The Yogabliss on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning. We explored walking the path of the Middle Way.  This is the practice of moderation which we develop by working with our aversion and craving. With relaxed awareness we can observe and feel the underlying energy of what compels us to lose our balance.   We bring compassionate awareness to our inner struggles.  Little by little we deepen our capacity to be present with difficulties.  We become more able to offer a compassionate response to our circumstances.

We drew inspiration from our recently named 24th U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limon.  You can hear her discuss her wonderful work in her On Being interview with Krista Tippett:  To Be Made Whole.

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The Yogabliss on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  We explored the cultivation of appreciation and joy.

We drew on the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.  This great teacher valued community most highly.  We explored the Plum Village Begin Anew community supporting practices.

We heard Li-Young Lee’s beautiful poem of appreciation and savoring:  From Blossoms.

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The Yogabliss on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  We explored how we sometimes abandon parts of ourselves as undesirable.  We can have faith in the boundlessness of our natural presence.  It’s a space that can hold all parts of ourselves. We can quiet and calm the mind and hear from those parts of ourselves that have been buried or lost.  Faith and mindfulness can helps us realize our wholeness.

We drew inspiration from draw inspiration from The Five Invitations, Frank Ostaseski’s wonderful book about living a conscious, loving life knowing that one day we will die.  Frank is the cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project and Metta Institute.

We heard  poet Jane Hirshfield’s words about whole-hearted concentration.

We drew inspiration from meditation instructor Jack Kornfield’s book, A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life.

We drew on meditation instructor Tara Brach’s book, Radical Compassion.  This book offers guidance for working with strong emotions.

We heard Janet Gallagher Nestor’s poem, Belief.

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The Yogabliss, Your Heart Life on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  We practiced slowing down and being with what is. It seems like so many of my friends are dealing with difficulties these days. Difficulties that are painful and scary,  unpredictable and uncertain.  They are often beyond our control and leave us feeling vulnerable. Hearing about them has become like a mindfulness bell that stops me squarely in “I don’t know.”  Caring friends and mindfulness practice help me to “be with what is.”

Today we drew inspiration and guidance from meditation teacher Annaka Harris. She is the author of Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind.  Annaka teaches mindfulness to children and is author of children’s books. You can find a wealth of her writings and guided meditations on her web-site and the Waking Up app.  Annaka’s guided meditation, Being With What Is, really helped me during a stressful time this week.

We also heard poet Danna Fauld’s poem, This Is Enough.  The poem affirmed the teachings about “being with what is.”  It also reminds me that I can always begin again, each breath a new experience of the present moment.

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The Yogabliss, Your Heart Life on-line Moving into Meditation classes met this morning.  Today we explored how and where we place our attention.  We explored mindfulness through body awareness and slow movement.  Teachers, writers and poets helped us to contemplate the incredible value of loving awareness and compassionate presence.

We drew inspiration from Michael Stone’s book, The World Comes to You. Michael was a prominent Buddhist teacher and yogi, psychotherapist and writer.  I discovered him through his book, Yoga for a World Out of Balance.  Michael taught mindfulness as compassionate action.  He continues to be a great teacher for me. You can find a wonderful archive of his talks, videos and books curated by his spouse, Carina Stone and his students at michaelstoneteaching.com.  In today’s reading Michael describes mindfulness.  He reminds readers that “When you can really meet conditions as they arise, you are practicing non-harm.  You’re practicing creativity.”  Yes!  Mindfulness as Creativity!

We heard Erin Rabke’s poem, Permission Granted.  These few lines are powerful encouragement to slow down, “shed the skin of urgency” and savor the life we’ve been given. I discovered this poem in one of Erin’s newsletters.  She is cofounder of Embodiment Matters.  Erin has studied and taught embodied movement practices of more 25 years.  Erin is a gifted writer.  She is also a facilitator for Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects.

We drew from the tenth chapter of Kathleen Dowling Singh’s book, The Grace in Aging: Awaken As You Grow Older. In this section, Commitment:  Liberation from Deception, Kathleen focuses on the precious gift of our attention.  She reminds us  that “we’re here to learn from each other. . . . We’re here to share with each other, to comfort and be comforted, to be present with each other.”

We also received guidance from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s beautiful essay, Returning the Gift.  Robin is a “mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.”  In today’s reading, Robin describes the reciprocal nature of attention:  what we give and receive from our natural world.

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