Episodes

Today’s sitting practice includes a body scan Informed deeply by wisdom and kindness for what’s here.

We continue our exploration“connection with spirit,” which Polyvagal Theory names of as one of the 4 foundational connections needed for human well-being. Today we look at this through the lens of prayer. Where might these words, prayer, devotion, sacred get hung up for you? Where might they be useful in pointing to an aspect of mindfulness practice worthy of your cultivation? How might you invite this into your practice? Helpful Resource: Thich Nhat Hanh, The Energy of Prayer

This practice is about greeting what is here, not trying to force ourselves into what we think should be here instead. What does that look like for you?

Drawing from Suleika Jaouad, Jon Batiste and Rumi, we look at how we can be wise and compassionate with the challenges that arise.

Bringing curiosity to whatever happens: Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace. -Frederick Buechner

Drawing from a sharing from Byron Katie about doing the dishes, we look at learning to love whatever we need “to do.” We can use this to skillfully navigate the joys, the sorrows, the challenges and the mundane in a way that life becomes a practice of care.

This is an opportunity to practice being receptive to your own being. Koshin Paley Ellison: Being receptive is essentially being open to learning from everything. Some people hear this and are frightened. Others hear it and are excited … But true receptivity is a lot harder than it seems. And yet, if you can stay open to the lessons that are the most difficult to grasp, you can learn to swim, not drown, in the ocean of life.

This sharing draws from Sheryl Chard’s practice, Constellation of Belonging, from grateful.org You belong. Everywhere. Yes, you—with all your history, anxiety, pain. Yes, everywhere—in every culture, community and circumstance, you belong in this body. You belong in this very moment. You belong in this breath…and in this one. You have always belonged. -Sebene Selassie That we belong is a given fact. -Br David Steindl-Rast If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the...

In this sit, we open to exploring all of what’s here in this moment, not just the often very small story of “who we are vs who should be…”

This session explores how a meditation on a “triggering” children’s movie helped me see how the compassion in the term “compassion fatigue” is probably not compassion at all… Please note: slight distortion from 00:00-03:00 and briefly around 15:00

We can learn to use a practice of skillful pendulation in our sitting practice, and in the whole our life as a means of grounding with challenge. This is a practice of flowing with a natural movement of coming and going, contraction and release, breathing in and breathing out, tides moving in and out, day moving to night and back to day, movement of seasons, and the up and down of bird wings. Rumi, translator-Coleman Banks The Essential Rumi: Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. ...

This sharing explores the congruency between refuge in the Dharma and modern behavioral medicine, particularly drawing from Judson Brewer’s gears model for habit change. If you want more information on Judson Brewer, please see this Ted Talk.

Revisiting the poem, “What It Is“ is an opportunity to explore even deeper opening into what is here with compassion and wisdom.

This talk again explores the Buddhist practice of taking refuge in the Dharma. Dharma refers to an inherent knowable wholeness in all things— a concept that is palpable and useful in everyday life when we look for it. Note: there is a background static sound in the first 2 minutes of the talk and again for around a minute starting at 10:30. This is not present for the majority of the talk.

What It Is (English translation of Was es ist) Written by: Erich Fried. Translated by: Anna Kallio It is nonsense says reason It is what it is says love It is calamity says calculation It is nothing but pain says fear It is hopeless says insight It is what it is says love It is ludicrous says pride It is foolish says caution It is impossible says experience It is what it is says love.

In this sharing, we look at the Buddhist concept of “Taking Refuge.” This can be understood in many ways, one of which is through a deep examination of feedback pointing to wholeness in the natural world as well as within our own bodies. No need to be Buddhist to appreciate the beauty and usefulness of this understanding of the way of things. For the video How Wolves Change Rivers, see here.

A meditation to help remind us that home is always already here and available in each moment now. Tasting Mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn Have you ever had the experience of stopping so completely, of being in your body so completely, of being in your life so completely, that what you knew and what you didn’t know that what had been and what was yet to come, and the way things are right now no longer held even the slightest hint of anxiety or discord? It would be a moment of complete presence, bey...

This sharing looks at specific practices for integrating our practice into daily life– even when daily life is 5 failed attempts to get your car towed… Click here for the handout. If you want to learn more about polyvagal exercises, Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection, written by Deb Dana is a good place to start. There are also numerous YouTube videos available demonstrating these exercises. If you are unfamiliar with the “Flipped Lid” concept, this comes from a brilliant “Brain/Han...

The word yoga has a definition of “to yoke“. In this sitting meditation, we are practicing a kind of yoga, or yoking, of body, mind and heart.