See all series | See all talks
Teacher: Bonnie Duran
Date: 2015-03-31
Venue: Seattle Insight Meditation Center
Series
- Awakening Joy 2015-03-24
Homework
Awakening Joy Homework, Week 2
From James Baraz, March 31
- Pause and Reflect: Hit the pause button many times a day. Stop, check in how you’re doing; check into the internal state of your body. Is there an openness, an expansion, a spaciousness – physiological state of happiness. Is there contraction or rigidity, the physiological states of fear or anger. Discern: is this how you want to be doing; do you want to be in a more wholesome state? Matters of consequence can obscure the magic. Find a reminder to stop and be M, stopped at a stop light, walking through doorway into kitchen.
- Mindful awareness and acceptance: Practice mindfulness 15 minutes a day. We think to bring M into day; Howie Cohn ending a retreat bring life into mindfulness. Hold mindfulness steady, keep it steady and present as you get up to walk into bathroom or kitchen, talk to your partner or child, sit at your computer or drive your car.
- Appreciation. Take one minute to write down everything you appreciate in this moment. Not past or future. Allow and recognize well-being in this moment. Even in the midst of hard times, notice moment of joy. Fresh flowers, photos of loved ones, a call from a friend, raindrops on the leaves.
- Taking in the good. Moment of well-being this week, even a moment of well-being in this moment. Notice it; take it in, let it register, savor the feeling in your body for 20-30 seconds so it will install in your implicit body memory. It only takes a reminder to breathe, a moment to be still, and just like that, something in me settles, softens, makes space for imperfection. The harsh voice of judgment drops to a whisper and I remember again that life isn’t a relay race; that we will all cross the finish line; that waking up to life is what we were born for. As many times as I forget, catch myself charging forward without even knowing where I’m going, that many times I can make the chose to stop, to breathe, and be, and walk slowing into the mystery.
Video
Link to view on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/123897491
TalkID=253 SeriesID=52
