Take From Me

"Take from me everything that takes me from you" is part of the following video. This week in class I'll be talking on the subject "How to Let Go."   Part of Being is Letting Go - of the past and the future.

A lot of letting go in my life right now, between my dad, who is now in a retirement community and feeling his life falling away and my pup, who in his old age tends to walk sideways instead of forward.

You may find the lyrics and visual soothing, as I did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD5RptXVAh8

 

(Thanks, Barry.)

Finding Forgiveness

Attentional training is more than just being aware of what is happening while it's happening.  It's exploring how we are relating to what is happening.  One element leads to wisdom.  The other leads to compassion. A mind-blowing journey and program on healing the heart in this video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCGKo715I6Q

 

(Thanks, Cheryl.)

Happy for No Reason: Inter-species Frivolity

A rush of Happy for No Reason videos recently, all in inquiry around the spiritual practice of being happy ... for no reason. Here we've got some amazing communication going on between a cat and dolphins.  It's better with the sound off  and a little contemplation on just what is going on between them.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rynvewVe21Y

 

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Being. In Nature

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Close your eyes and awareness naturally flows inward and to the other senses.  Our daylong retreat on Saturday explored what it means to "be" with nature as a backdrop.
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Much of our day was on a knoll over the Potomac River at River Bend Park.  Though it was in the high 80's, every small breeze added to the cocktail of sensations:  bird songs, the rush of the river over rocks, the rich humid air, the occasional plane overhead and the irregular drumbeat of Piliated woodpeckers working over dead trees nearby.
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Meditation in nature provides so many doorways to paying attention.  One technique is to narrow your awareness to one square foot of forest floor and to notice all the details ... from the diversity of plant life to the movement of bugs.
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A more expansive meditation is to cloud gaze and feel the space in which everything forms, changes and disappears.
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Meditating in nature in a group provides a rich sense of camraderie, a sense of 'being alone together.'  The photo above is from a trust walk.  One partner is blindfolded, doing walking meditation with the senses open.  The other partner is providing caring support.  It's a wonderful dance of vulnerability, openess and receiving.
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I'm inspired to do more of these retreats.  Stay tuned if you'd like to join in the future.  We end at 3:30, providing you time and space to practice the meditation technique, put so eloquently by friend and teacher Eric Kolvig, 'to wander like a happy dog.'

Mindfulness and Parenting

Have you been practicing mindfulness meditation for at least seven years? . Are you a parent?

. Are you interested in contributing to a research study on mindfulness?

. The voices of long-term mindfulness meditators have thus far been largely unheard in the current mindfulness research dialogue. This research study seeks to incorporate the experiences and perceptions of advanced mindfulness meditators to contribute to our understanding of how mindfulness affects interpersonal relationships. Specifically, this study seeks to understand the influence of mindfulness on the parenting of long-term mindfulness meditators.

. If you would like to participate in this study, you will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire and be interviewed about your experiences and perceptions about mindfulness and parenting. Interviews can be conducted in person or over the phone and will take about an hour and a half. All the information you provide will be kept confidential.

. To learn more about this research and set up an interview time, please contact Eve at 203.434.4092.Please feel free to pass this information along to others who may be interested in contributing to advancing our knowledge about mindfulness meditation.

Buddhism and Neuroscience

Jean Houston used to talk about 'ancient future technologies,' which I sensed as the rediscovery of ancient practices that suddenly appear as cutting edge.  Science is proving the incredible effectiveness of meditation on the brain.  

MANY OF BUDDHISM’S CORE TENETS SIGNIFICANTLY OVERLAP WITH FINDINGS FROM MODERN NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE. SO HOW DID BUDDHISM COME CLOSE TO GETTING THE BRAIN RIGHT?

More here.  Very interesting read.

Being ... In Nature

Every time I connect with nature something profound happens.  I sense rhythms that run much deeper and stronger than my small concerns and grievances.  I'm incredibly fortunate to live so close to the park and the river, especially along the flood plane where the scene changes so dramatically. To that end, Ellen Tynan and I are offering a daylong retreat - actually 9:30 - 3:30 - at River Bend Park.  We'll have some solo practice, group practice and some adventures that are guaranteed to heighten the senses.  Registration is limited to only 20 people.

We're ending at 3:30 so we can break out and do our own thing, whether we're called to solo practices or some group explorations.

By the way, that brood of ducklings is now down to two extremely vigilant little ducks and their momma.

More on the retreat here.

The Value of Retreat

I'm back now from the IMCW Spring Retreat for about five days and still enjoying the buzz.  60+ participants for the week and over 100 for the weekend. Seven days with no reading, writing, eye contact speaking.  Your 'job' is to relax and pay attention.

I was deeply absorbed this week, leading movement sessions twice a day, doing 1:1 interviews and giving two talks.  It was a deep privilege to serve.

There's a reason this format has been around for a few thousand years.  If you can possibly schedule a retreat, I consider it one of the best investments you can make.  Our next retreat, the IMCW Fall Retreat, is in October.

 

Barbara K Foust 1924 - 2011

My mother died last week.  I had the good fortune to sit with her a few hours before she passed. Barbara Kingston Foust of Pittston, Maine, died on April 20, 2011 at Maine General Nursing and Rehab at Glenridge.

She was born on November 16, 1924 to William Frank Kingston and Louise Anne Schucholz Kingston in Melrose, Massachusetts.

She graduated from Russell Sage College in Albany, New York with a degree in nursing.

She and her husband, Earnest Foust, bought a 73-acre farm in Pennsylvania in 1956 and set about raising children, sheep, horses, dogs, cats, quail and the occasional orphaned raccoon.

Her interest in herb gardening led to a chapter she wrote for the book The Rodale Herb Book for Rodale Press.

Referred to sometimes as ‘the woman who dyes at the festival,’ she presented for many years at the Kutztown Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Festival, demonstrating how to work with vegetable dyes and spinning wool.  She worked with wool in a variety of forms such as dying, knitting, and weaving.  For many years she imported spinning wheels from Scotland and sold dyeing, weaving and spinning supplies.

Her interest in healing led to her becoming a Reiki Master and a dowser.  She supported and trained many people in the healing arts.

 

She is survived by her husband, Earnie Foust, four children, Virginia Louise Mutti and husband Larry, William Foust and wife Linda, Jonathan Foust and wife, Tara Brach, Matthew Foust and wife, Karen, grandchildren Laurel Mutti Patwardhan, Johanna Mutti, Matthew Foust, Jason Foust, David Foust, Sarah Foust, Hannah Foust, Allison Foust and great-grandchildren Molly Foust and Ryan Foust.

She liked to tell a story about a time when she was a little girl in elementary school.  A solemn old man came one day and all the children lined up to shake his hand.  He explained that he, as a civil war veteran, had once shaken hands with a veteran from the Revolutionary War, and they now, as children were only one hand shake away from the birth of the nation.  If you’ve been touched by Barbara you were probably touched not only by her kindness, but a sense of timelessness.

 

Earnie is well and living in Pittston, Maine with Matthew, Karen, Sarah, Hannah, Alison, Reuben the dog, Ellie the cat and their goldfish, who has gone through a number of name-changes and who's name is currently up for debate.

His contact information is below:

Earnie Foust 580 Wiscasset Road, Apt 1 Pittston, ME 04345-5312 207-582-8615