"Meditations that Heal" workshops

A new series of workshops will be scheduled when there are enough people in the community to form a good sized group.

If you or your professional or personal community would be interested in forming a group, please contact me. Groups can be scheduled weekly for a period of 4 weeks or in a block of time.

Groups are now also available in Peachland BC.

Hurrying Up and Slowing Down

There is an interesting aspect to living with accumulated stress that I am aware of these days and it is the development of "hurrying". When I miss my morning quiet time before my feet touch the ground, I am quickly propelled into the activities of the day without an anchor. I notice then how, without the solidity of my morning meditation, I begin to go fast in both my mind and my movements. Before I know it, moving from task to task, I accumulate lists of what else needs to be done and then my perception is that time begins to compress. It is at this moment that thankfully I can catch and remind myself that there is no emergency, that in fact, when I slow down, there is actually more time to get what needs doing done. Stress is a trickster - it has us believe the opposite of what is true - by hurrying up you can be more productive and efficient. The fact is hurrying up robs us of creativity and actual living. Hurrying up increases our heart rates, impatience, distorts perspective and lowers thoughtfulness. Slowing down, bring better health, more patience, productivity, good communication with others and a sense of well being.
I know of no better way to programme the mind to slow down than by beginning each day with a meditation that focuses us right into the present moment, filling mind and body with a connection with the self.
Present Moment, Only Moment.

New Group Starting April 7th, 2010

"Meditations that Heal" - meditations that help heal trauma, anxiety, stress, and overload.

For women and men who feel the need to learn new ways of handling stressful emotions and pressure-filled thinking.

New groups form according to demands in the community.

The fee is $56. plus gst for the series.

To register, please call me at 604-613-7949.

The group draws primarily from Focusing and Mindfulness practices and also includes other contemplative practices, known to reduce stress, raise awareness and bring clarity.

The current groups are designed for people of all ages.

Words from Thich Nhat Hanh

Thought for the day - an exerpt from "Being Peace" by Thich Nhat Hanh

" Meditation is to be aware of what is going on, in our bodies, in our feelings, in our minds, and in the world. Each day, 40,000 children die of hunger. The superpowers now have more than 50,000 nuclear warheads, enough to destroy our planet many times. Yet the sunrise is beautiful, and the rose that bloomed this morning along the wall is a miracle. Life is both dreadful and wonderful. To practice meditation is to be in touch with both aspects. Please do not think we must be solemn in order to meditate. In fact to meditate well, we have to smile a lot."

Each day we are bombarded by inner and outer messages that hurt and hinder our peace of mind. At the core of who we are lives a wise self that is balanced, compassionate, playful and loving. "Mediations that Heal" will help us get to know our wise selves.

Dalai Lama's Recent Statement on Emotions

"Buddhism is more about human emotions. In the course of that exploration, it will become obvious that most disturbances are stimulated not by external causes but by such internal events as the arising of disturbing emotions. The best antidote to these sources of disruption will come about through enhancing our ability to handle these emotions ourselves. Eventually we need to develop an awareness that provides the ways and means to overcome negative, disturbing emotions ourselves,” added Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama delivered this message this week and it was another example to me of how helpful it is to develop some kind of practice that brings balance to our emotional states. Focusing (as identified by Dr. Gendlin) is what I would call a Buddhist type practice in that it encourages us to go inward and "say hello" to what troubles us. Repeatedly practicing this helps us to develop a strong observer self, a place of internal balance.

I would add to the Dalai Lama's statement only one thing: when there has been trauma, difficult emotions arise from that trauma. And so external events do cause disturbing emotions, but only when the initial unwanted event happens. The difficult emotions that subsequently arise are then due to our "re-playing" of the event. Without appropriate attention, we can stay stuck in initial traumatic responses. Buddhism and Focusing are supportive methods to help us get perspective, and to eventually help us resolve difficult states.

Truth Rings a Bell

Truth rings a bell, and then we are changed forever. And the sound of that bell relaxes and releases all the tension, all the holding, all the symptoms we have when we bury a truth. I know of no other path that helps us tell the truth like Focusing, a series of universal inner movements we are all capable of getting in touch with. The truth gets buried inside layers of feelings and thoughts, dreams and experiences, positive and negative. So let's say there's a feeling of anxiety that persists. Sitting with where it is in the body, giving it lots of room to breath and be without judging it, allows the anxiety to reveal a truth about our experience. And when we get in touch with the authenticity, the truth of the experience, we feel peaceful and relieved. In this way, Focusing is revolutionary because it brings peace without altering anybody else or anything else. We spend so much time talking and examining when all that is really required is listening to what our recurring thoughts and feelings are holding. Another result of paying attention this way is that feelings start to lose their significance and our awareness begins to grow. And that is what we are ultimately after - to become aware so that we cease to struggle in the unskillfulness that unresolved pain creates.

About the photo - I took this picture at the Mission in Santa Barbara, CA. The bell is at least 100 years old, and the way it sits on the as equally old cart evokes layers of meaning for me that are still unfolding.

Light Dawning

I took this sunrise photo late in December and was grateful that I woke up in time to see the vast expanse of colour welcome me into a new day. I enjoy living in this nourishing environment because, regardless of what is going on, nature continues to move through cycles undisturbed by our human dramas and dilemas. It is comforting. December for me was a mixture of sorrow and celebration. We lost our beloved family dog, Leo, who was my constant companion for the past 2 years. It has been 16 days, and I can still feel his presence around me, loyal and kind as he was.

Sorrow also for all the Canadian soldiers lost in the line of duty in December. I have a grandson in the Dand province of Afghanistan right now, and although I know that he is over-the-moon happy finally doing what he loves to do, that he is so much in his element, I live with a delicate thread of tension which I am sometimes aware of and sometimes not. When a loved one is on rotation there is the opportunity to practice mindfulness like never before. There is one circle which is about him being at war, about his dad and siblings missing him, coping with his absence, there are my feelings about a grandson in harm's way. This forms one closed circle. Then there is another larger circle around that one which is about what needs doing in the house, food to buy, meals to prepare, work to do. One foot in front of the other, around the arc of the circle, until that one closes, and the work of living begins again.

Focusing helps me to be with what is, ever expanding what I can hold in my awareness without reacting. Focusing helps me to cast light on the shadow thinking, the dark and fearfilled feelings that could, if I were not mindful, own me.

Focusing and Mindfulness are constant companions. They offer peaceful presence in a turbulent and changing world.

I would love to hear your comments about what Focusing and Mindfulness bring to you.