On the 2nd Sunday of the Month beginning September 9th, we will begin a Meditation
Tea Circle. You will be led through a guided meditation and then have the opportunity to meditate silently with
the group. Afterwards, we will have tea and discuss. This will begin at my home (hopefully in the back yard, weather
permitting) at 4pm. It will be a relaxing experience for all. CD's will be provided to continue the circle
throughout the month. There will be a private blog set up for participants to discuss their experiences in
between meetings. $15 includes Tea, snacks and Meditation CD.
A Good Day
brought to you by the wonderful souls at Gratefulness.org
Enjoy!
Meditation Station
"So don't be in a hurry and try to push or rush your practice. Do your meditation gently and gradually step by step.
In regard to peacefulness, if you become peaceful, then accept it; if you don't become peaceful, then accept that also.
That's the nature of the mind. We must find our our own practice and persistently keep at it." Ajahn Chah,
'Bodhinyana'
A Simple Breathing Meditation
The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and
more lucid. This can be accomplished by practising a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to meditate and
sit in a comfortable position. We can sit in the traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is comfortable.
If we wish, we can sit in a chair. The most important thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming
sluggish or sleepy.
We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We
breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of
the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is our object of meditation. We should try
to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else.
At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation
is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be
a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly
on the sensation of the breath. If we discover that our mind has wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately
return it to the breath. We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath.
If we practise patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside
and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed.
When the sea is rough, sediment is churned up and the water becomes murky, but when the wind dies down the mud gradually settles
and the water becomes clear. In a similar way, when the otherwise incessant flow of our distracting thoughts is calmed through
concentrating on the breath, our mind becomes unusually lucid and clear. We should stay with this state of mental calm for
a while.
Even though breathing meditation is only a preliminary stage of meditation, it can
be quite powerful. We can see from this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling
the mind, without having to depend at all upon external conditions. When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and
our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within. This feeling of contentment and well-being
helps us to cope with the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience
comes from our mind, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress.
Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience
a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away. Difficult situations will become easier
to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually
improve.
Daily Note from the Universe:
Arms up and out, half bent, hands just above head level, facing your peeps waving in a circular fashion.
Subtly sway to the left, then to the right. Keep with it, back and forth. Don't stop waving. Now mix in a gentle bob, up and
down... That's right, Linda, good...
Now add a little, "Whoo-hooooo, Whoo-hoooo....." as you sway.
Perfect.
Just 5 seconds of this happy dance, just 5 seconds, even when feeling blue, will always make you smile. Your smile will
lift your spirits. Your spirits will summon ancient friends. And your friends will raise you higher into the light.
Works every time.
This has been a public service announcement brought to you by.... The Universe
P.S. No one said shimmy, Linda.
We always attract into our
lives whatever we think about most, believe most strongly, expect on the deepest level, and imagine most vividly.
Shakti Gawain American Author of 'Creative Visualization'
There is always music amongst
the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.
Minnie Aumonier
"Without inner peace, it is impossible to have world peace."
- 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso
Cool Mandalas....Click Below
A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day
she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the
precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good
fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return
the stone to the wise woman.
"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope
that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.
"
"The Wise Woman's Stone" Author Unknown
“Come to the edge.” “We can't. We're afraid.” “Come to the
edge.” “We can't. We will fall!” “Come to the edge.” And they came. And he pushed
them. And they flew.
Guillaume Apollinaire, 1880-1918 French Poet, Philosopher
It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those
close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved
in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.
Mother Teresa, 1910-1997
*****************************************
Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can
hear her breathing.
Once you have started seeing the beauty of life,
ugliness starts disappearing. If you start looking at life with joy, sadness starts disappearing. You cannot
have heaven and hell together, you can have only one. It is your choice.
Osho
Thought for the month
I Will Not Die an Unlived Life
Living Wide Open: Landscapes
of the Mind I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose
to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came
to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit
