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”.

This is our challenge:  how can we train in feeding the right wolf?  Pema says that we are endowed with a basic goodness that we can draw on to make the right choice.  Every time we refrain from aggressive impulses we de-escalate the level of aggression in the world.  So we practice for ourselves and each other.  She describes the nature of this goodness as our natural intelligence, warmth and openness.  These qualities are revealed if we are willing to bring mindfulness into our daily lives.  I think you could say we are challenged to live with “heartfulness”.

In yoga, we practiced with the themes Pema introduced in the first chapter. I think we could improve the quality of every day life if we could keep these queries and suggestions in mind:

i. Notice how you approach movement. Are you moving with awareness? Are you moving in a habitual way or can you breathe & move as if for the first time?

ii. Notice how are you meeting yourself. What is your experience of natural intelligence? Are you present enough to move in a way that is right for you? What is your experience of natural warmth? Are you willing to move in a way that is truly compassionate, healing & nourishing? What is your experience of natural openness? Can you pause long enough to experience equanimity, a sense of spaciousness & calm?

We practiced a simple mindfulness meditation in which we entrained our attention on the breath.  We followed Pema’s instruction to label arising thoughts and let them go like passing clouds.  She describes labeling as the point at which we can consciously train in gentleness and in developing a nonjudgmental attitude.  Loving-kindness is unconditional friendliness.  So each time you say to yourself “thinking,” you are cultivating unconditional friendliness toward whatever arises in your mind.

Our discussion was a good opportunity to share differing reflections on the written word and our personal experience of dealing with difficult situations.  How we struggle to feed the right wolf.   Pema’s teaching is very accessible and down to earth.  While the ideas and practices are straightforward, they are very challenging.  It takes caring and courage to come to see ourselves clearly.  I wonder if we can actually do this without the help of others.  I’ve put together a list of “homework” suggestions including “mindfulness” practices, questions for reflection and next week’s reading.  You can find the homework at:

Taking the Leap Meditation Book Group Meeting 1 Homework

I sincerely hope this material will be helpful to everyone who is curious and willing to explore.  I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from each other.

Namaste!