Each morning when I'm down by the river at sunrise this time of year, clouds of blackbirds or grackles make their way across the river as the sun comes up. This morning I skipped the morning walk and sit down by the river and the flock came to me.
It was pretty mind altering to be sitting quietly in silence and hear this cacophony right out the back door.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu_jgcKtHxM
I'll be giving a talk at the Dolley Madison Library this Thursday night in conjunction with a series sponsored by my friends at Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine. Most of us have heard about the medical research that demonstrates how mindfulness meditation can help reduce anxiety and improve health, but what is "mindfulness" anyway? And how does it work?
Think of mindfulness as "non-judging awareness." Learning how to access mindfulness when we're experiencing stress, pain, depression and other difficult states can be challenging.
Through a short talk and brief guided meditation experiences we'll explore some practical strategies, not just for increasing our toleration of unpleasant states, but for actually transforming our relationship with them when they do arise.
DATE: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013
TIME: 7:00 to 8:00 PM
PLACE: Dolley Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Avenue, McLean
For directions, click here. Light refreshments will be served.
Following the talk I'll be around to respond to questions. There is no charge for this event, but seating is limited, so we encourage you to pre-register.
I was just uploading my latest talk and noticed over 100,000 guided meditations and talks have been downloaded through iTunes and online streaming.
Wow. Initially I started posting my talks for participants in the weekly classes who were away traveling. As the listenership has broadened, it's a treat to hear from folks around the planet who've found them helpful, including the woman who wrote me and wanted me to know how grateful she was as the talks helped her fall asleep each night.
My good friend Shobhan Richard Faulds described his aspiration so well I co-opted it for myself:
Practice Deeply, Share Freely
I've received much generosity in this life and embrace the principle of dana - or generosity - in this tradition.
The teachings and practices are considered priceless, therefore there is no charge. When I offer a weekly class or retreat freely, it's gratifying to know that no one would be denied access and I'm always touched and gratified by the support I receive to keep doing what I do.
Thanks to all who support me in my aspiration to contribute.
Morning in the Berkshire Mountains overlooking the Stockbridge Bowl. I had the gift of living here for 20 years. One morning I joined a fellow ashramite staring at the sunrise. After awhile he said,
'This is my biofeedback device. If it's not beautiful I know there is something wrong with me.'
Have you ever met anyone who finds their practice, whether it be yoga, meditation, prayer, etc, to be effortless to sustain?
If so, please send them my way. I'd like to learn their secret.
Any practice that embraces transformation is a challenge to keep going. And most people, as one of my teachers said, stop practicing precisely because it's working.
Mindfulness is designed to bring into your awareness what is between you and feeling free. Doing it alone is challenging, and that's why there have been through the ages, monasteries, support groups, retreats for intensive practice.
This week's talk explores the power of remembering why you practice and what to expect if you can sustain an intentional effort on non-judging awareness.
The blurb:
Mindfulness practice can get dry and rote. When you remember why you are practicing you'll reconnect with your passion and deepest intention. When you can sustain your practice, you may notice a number of benefits.
Beyond the physiological and emotional boosts you'll feel, ultimately you'll notice the arising of two distinct faculties.
Wisdom is your capacity to recognize what is true. Compassion is your capacity to allow and open to truth.
iTunes podcast here, online streaming here, stitcher app here.
57 fire-breathing teachers ready to take it out into the world. We just completed the nine-day module called ”Exploring the Energy Body: Teaching Pranayama and Meditation."
What a group of dedicated practitioners and teachers. I'm deeply inspired.
An early walk in the Berkshires before diving into morning practices in our teacher training. 23 degrees and dropping.
What happens when things don't go your way?
It's actually quite predictable.
Learn to recognize your own reactive patterns and you start to have choices where none existed before.
This week's talk is a high speed romp through what are often called the Five Obstacles or the Five Hindrances. It's a short talk as we took extra time at the end to form "Spiritual Friends" groups.
The blurb:
What's between you and feeling free? Chances are excellent whatever it is, it has it's roots in one of five particuarl states.
When you learn to identify them, you immediately begin to shift your relationship to what is happening.
This is a short talk and is a pretty high speed romp and more general overview.
iTunes podcast here, online streaming here, Stitcher here.
It's been a while since an entry in the "Happy for No Reason" category. It's hard not to smile taking this in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CT3fIYoduw
(Thanks, Cheryl.)
It was great to be back in Arlington after the week-long retreat. I'll be doing a series on "What's Between You and Feeling Free" over the next two weeks.
The forces of Greed, Ill Will and Delusion make it impossible to access a sense of non-judging presence. When you learn to recognize them, you open the possibility of dramatically shifting your relationship to the moment.
I'm often asked, "How can I tell I'm making any progress in my practice?" I think using the yardstick of these three forces can be helpful.
Do you feel less caught in craving, wanting, fantasizing?
Are you less swept up in hatred, ill will, judgment and aversion?
Do you feel you have more access to wisdom - to a sense of what is real and true?
The blurb:
Three major forces color your life experience in any moment. Learning how to recognize how they pervade thoughts, feelings, beliefs and actions can lead to a greater sense of freedom. A short talk and a few questions which have been edited for easier listening.
iTunes podcast here, online streaming here and stitcher here.
Moon over Pearlstone Retreat Center
.
I just figured out I've supported at least 25 of our residential retreats since I've moved down to DC. It's the best game in town.
It's never less than awe-inspiring to take this deep dive into self-inquiry with so many dedicated and sincere practitioners.
This practice is not for the feint of heart. No reading, writing and no speaking except for two short interviews during the week.
Hours and hours and hours of sitting and walking meditation with some optional chi gong in the morning and yoga in the afternoon. The food was great, the weather supportive and the grounds are beautiful for walking and meditating outdoors.
If you're on for a transformative journey, do consider joining one. The next is the New Year's Retreat. More at IMCW.
Morning hike and meditation accompanied by a faithful local companion shakin' it off.
We start the Fall Retreat at the end of the week and we'll have over 100 people in silence watching the breath and watching the movent of the mind for days and days and days. This link takes you to an awesome narrative of a meditator's experience on retreat sitting near Harvey Keitel. This is from BBC radio. Amazing production.
Thirty minutes of inner monologue interspersed with meditation guidance from Sharon Salzberg.
Just completing a three-day Intensive called The Transformative Journey at Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, MA. Not to be too cliché, but I hope we burned off some of the psychic fog through the last three days of yoga, meditation, breathwork and inquiry. It's been ten years since I was president here and I'm delighted to see the place thriving.
Many years ago, Jared and I did a month-long silent meditation retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California.
I distinctly remember watching Jared haul a boatload of stuff up the long hill to the meditation center and him marveling at my 'lack' of stuff. I'd managed to pack everything I needed for the month in one carryon bag.
Liiving in a 9x11 room in an ashram for a decade or so got me trained in to living light. Three years in an RV trained me in even more. I didn't have much, but I really enjoyed each shirt, pair of pants, pair of shoes. Everything I owned was a 'favorite.'
I got into one-bag packing when I started noticing that when I'd unpack from trips on the road, much of what I'd brought along never got worn. That got me thinking as to how spare and mindful I could comfortably go.
Thanks to sites like OneBag.com I've come to appreciate I'm not alone in my fetish for traveling light. I continue to refine my systems and will share more if prodded even slightly.
Here's Jared's blog post on National Geographic.
And if you'd like, before I left on that retreat, you can read my original post.
Earlier this year, senior dharma teachers received a petition requesting some teachings on how to be with climate change and the environmental challenges we face right now.
The response was Earth Care Week, when teachers from around the country speak on the topic.
I found this subject particularly challenging. I realized I have my own reactions ranging from a sense of helplessness, anger, frustration and not a little self-judgment as I've recognized how much I've personally managed to ignore the topic.
I found some relief in looking at the topic through the lens of the four essential insights of Buddhist psychology and that's the structure of this week's talk. Given the fact that climate change is real, that there is a cause for it, there is also some possibility that we can turn it around if we wake up and take action.
This week's blurb:
This is "Earth Care Week" and Vipassana teachers around the country are speaking on the topic of mindfulness of climate change.
Given the enormity of challenges, it's easy to get overwhelmed, angry and filled with helplessness.
I've found it most helpful to view our relationship to our environment through the lens of the Four Noble Truths. In facing the reality of our global condition, there may be some hope for a deep awakening of consciousness.
iTunes podcast here, online streaming here and stitcher here.
All calm and peaceful down by the river this morning. The water is about as low as the Potomac gets but in a few hours, with all this rain to our west, the current will be surging.
Meanwhile, here's a shot of some leaves suspended in a quiet spot on the water's edge.
Most people would think of me as reasonably kind and thoughtful.
That changes when I get behind the wheel of a car and head out into the battlefield of DC Metro traffic.
On my way to class in Arlington, a black SUV cut me off and I went right into "Revenge Mode" before I realized what was happening.
Fortunately, I was teaching that night about a formula that helps you shift your relationship to what's happening by asking four fundamental questions and I was able to move through the waves of anger pretty quickly.
That's what week's talk is all about.
Here's the blurb:
Meditation will most probably help you feel more present and alive, emotionally available and with a more refined sense of intuition.
It's also a very handy tool when you encounter physical pain, emotional turbulence or mental anquish.
Four essential questions can help you shift from feeling caught to having access to more creativity and resilience when you feel stuck.
You can sign for my iTunes podcast here, listen online here or sign on through Stitcher.