Thinking Out Loud

I have been reading a great book this week by Tim Ferriss called “ Tools of Titans .” I am enjoying the succinct summaries of his favorite podcast profiles. Glimpses into great minds=priceless!   One individual, I don’t remember which, talked about the power of the “Gone” meditation. The "Gone" meditation is simple, and I used it several times on my hike down into, along, and out of the Grand Canyon yesterday. The "gone" technique is useful for times when you are trying to meditate and your thoughts simply run wild (monkey brain). Rather than freak out about your inability to still your thoughts, just become the silent observer of your thoughts and quietly say “gone” as soon as you notice each thought that arises, leaving. If you practice watching your thoughts arise, and then depart, you will begin to notice how fleeting your thoughts are, and when you are tempted to obsess over a thought or get caught up in cyclical thinking, or addictive behaviors, you can ...

The title of this post in my mind was Half Measures Won't Do but when I typed it the title came out Half Measures Won't Due . The Freudian slip is revealing so I decided to keep it. I was accepted into the two year mindfulness and meditation teacher certification training being offered by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. There was an application process, and while I'm pretty sure they won't turn anyone away who is willing to pay, I was pleased that I was offered a place as a "strong candidate." When I received the notification of my acceptance, I was excited and then I was like, "Do I even want to do this?" I mean I know meditation is beneficial, but I'm more of a yogi than a meditator. I think about some of the retreats and assignments and I'm like, "this just is not my style." But then again, I haven't really ever committed myself to a dedicated meditation practice till now and I may not know nearly enough about the art to d...

I'm trying to decide what the balance between transcending and embracing should be? I mean if our purpose is to fully embrace and experience life, then do we really want to transcend our experiences? I would think it would be better to relish the experience rather than try to escape or overcome it? For example, when I gashed open my shin, I told myself it wasn't pain. I used my mind to "transcend" the experience. I told myself that the surge of sensation I was feeling in my shin was simply that, sensation. I was really amazed at how effective this method was in helping me deal with the pain. But now, I'm wondering if the same effect could be had by coming at the pain another way? What if, in this shin situation, instead of seeking to minimize the pain, I had instead moved toward the pain? Could looking pain in the eyes and embracing it with open curiosity have been equally effective in helping me deal with the pain? Why do we immediately assume pain is bad and t...

Perhaps this morning's realization as I meditated sprung from yesterday's post. As I sat in silence, I realized that I already have everything I need inside of me. Perhaps therein lies the power of meditation. Through silently sitting we calm the mind and quiet the inner and outer disturbances that cloud our judgment and create separation between us and our divine center. I love this thought as expressed by Yogananda: Any erroneous thought of man is a result of an imperfection, large or small, in his discernment. The goal of yoga science is to calm the mind, that without distortion it may hear the infallible counsel of the Inner Voice. And what is this "Inner Voice?" Some call it "Conscience," "Light of Christ," "Holy Ghost," "Spirit," or "Intuition." Semantics aside, I believe that this inner voice is divine soul guidance that appears naturally in humankind during those times when our mind is calm. Our inner voi...

I wrote the title of this post My Budding Lotus after I had written these notes following my first full 20-minute meditation session. Today marks day 2 of my 30-day practice of meditation mindfully for a total of 20 minutes. I'm giving myself the flexibility to choose to do 2, 10-minute sessions or one 20-minute session. We have been asked to journal after each session and here is what I wrote after today's session: I just did my first 20 minutes silent meditation. I used the guided meditation included in this course and was surprised to find that the 20 minutes went by exceedingly fast. For the first time, I didn't find myself wondering how much time I had left meditating, feel like I was wasting time, or feel like I should be getting something accomplished. Also interesting was the fact that my Goldendoodle decided to join me. I thought, as he snuggled down beside me, that I should put him out of the room so I could focus on my practice, but as I experienced his lovin...

I purchased the course The Power of Awareness from Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield and I started the first few classes today as I cleaned house. It has been fun to experience the evolution of my thoughts concerning mindfulness meditation practice. Initially, I found myself multi-tasking during the course work and didn't bother to stop adn participate in the meditation practices. I was soaking up the stories and teachings, but I was too busy to stop working to sit and meditate. My whole agenda was to figure out how to meditate while being productive. I'm not giving up on that quest, but about halfway into lesson two I realized that if I didn't surrender and do as Tara and Jack taught, I'd never expereince the results their practice promises to deliver. I have to follow their guidance. So I just now completed a guided meditation. It was wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I've done guided meditations before, but today's was different. Probably because I've be...

I've been toying with the idea of attending a mindfulness and meditation retreat for some time, but have shied away because I worry that I won't be able to tolerate sitting still for long periods of time. Additionally, I worry that I won't like it. So I started reading a pamphlet that dispels the myths surrounding mindfulness and meditation. All of the points are good, but here are just a few that I found particularly poignant: Practicing mindfulness isn’t about zoning out. It’s about zoning in. You train yourself to pay closer attention than you might normally be used to, and this kind of focus rubs off on the rest of your life . It can actually help you to get into “the zone” and stay there longer. Meditation practice need not be tied to any belief system. The only necessary belief is not a dogmatic one, but one that says each of us has the capacity to understand ourselves more fully, and to care more deeply both for ourselves and for others. Its methods work to fre...