We had the Sunday Introduction to Meditation Class at Yoga Bliss yesterday: a formal sitting meditation and a period of mindful walking. We’ve been adding a Metta Meditation or loving kindness practice after walking. We are all beginners. Some students have been coming for nearly a year and half and others come for the very first time.
Our motivations to practice differ, yet we are drawn to stillness and the circle of caring. The circle is a beautiful opportunity to realize the interdependence that supports our very being. Our life stories open hearts and minds; compassion arises naturally like the breath. We share our struggles about the inevitable challenges of meditation, yet we seem to be drawn to it when our lives are most stressful. We talked about honoring the place from which we begin. This involves adapting the approach in order to minimize struggle or grasping for the next achievement. We let go of the iconic “lotus” posture depicted by the mythic enlightened.
When we bring mindfulness to our lives in a meaningful way – it takes many different forms. When eating we are only eating. When walking we are only walking. The Buddha is often quoted as saying: “in the seen there is only the seen . . . in the heard there is only the heard. . . ” Slowing things down we become present for our lives. In these spacious moments life expresses itself through our very being. In space and time we can recognize the things we often overlook or race by: like including ourselves in our own prayers. Many of us devote daily blessings or wishes for the well being of others – family members, friends, people who are suffering around the world. Do you pray for yourself? I haven’t been. I’m not sure what this is about. I’m o.k. with not knowing – especially as it’s expressed by the poet Rilke:
I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I give myself to it. I circle around God, around the primordial tower. I’ve been circling for thousands of years and I still don’t know: am I a falcon, a storm, or a great song?
I’m going to give myself to the circling, perhaps you will too.