Day 12 & 13 – Reflection/Meditation From Sharon Salzberg’s Real Happiness “Our intuitive wisdom often tells us to let go, to be peaceful, to relinquish efforts to control. But our cultural conditioning and personal history tells us we should hold on to people, pleasure, and distractions in order to be happy.” (pg 155) May you…
Category: blog
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 11 Interconnectedness
Day 11 – Interconnectedness or It’s a small world after all As we continue sending mettā to others this week, a thought occurred. And during meditation when do they not? Here’s what it is: we’re living in the era of “us vs. them,” primed to think of others — especially those who are different or…
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 10 Ease into it
Day 10 – Ease into it This week it gets easier, sending the words to those we love. Lovingkindness does start within, but it can be difficult for some people you me. This next week may be easier. Ideally, we continue individual practice and this next one. Think about one person living or not, or…
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 9 Take a breath. And another. And another
Day 9 – Take a breath. And another. And another. May I be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May I be happy and contented. May I be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May I experience ease of well-being. So, if you are open to expanding the field of…
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 8 Practice, Practice, Practice
Day 8 – Practice, Practice, Practice One of my teachers, Bob Thurman when speaking about meditation is known for saying “practice, practice, practice. But when is the performance?!” We practice meditation because we are not perfect (perfection, ultimately doesn’t exist and imho is one of the things that keeps us attached and suffering. Today, I…
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 7 Letting go
Day 7 – Letting Go As the first week of this challenge ends, I look forward to the coming week as I move away from lovingkindness for myself and move to lovingkindness for others. I prefer picking the same person for the week. Someone close, someone neutral (think cashier, dry cleaner, the mail delivery person)…
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 5 & 6 Begin Again
Day 5 & 6 – Begin again. Since lovingkindness meditation encourages us to be kind with ourselves, I didn’t beat myself up for not having posted yesterday. I still sat for my 20 minutes yesterday and today. I just didn’t post about. What kept gnawing at me was wanting to post about some of the…
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 4 Why is it challenging to love ourselves?
Day 4 – Why is it challenging to love ourselves? Tenderness and consideration toward others is one of the definitions of lovingkindness. During the first week of this meditation we are asked to focus on ourselves and recite the following: May I be safe, peaceful, and free of suffering. #mettaOctober #commit2sit #virtualsangha
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 3 Loving others as loving self. And vice versa.
Day 3 – Loving others as loving self. And vice versa. May I honour myself with kindness and compassion & may I honour others as I would want to be honored. May the love I offer myself and share with others be a stepping stone, a run way for setting myself and others free. (not…
October Metta Meditation Challenge – Day 2 I wish MYself happiness??
Day 2 – I wish MYself happiness?? Lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity are meditation practices, used to cultivate concentrated attention and out of which the power of these qualities emerge, transfiguring the heart. “may I be safe, be happy, be healthy, and live with ease.” #mettaOctober #commit2sit #bekind #beginagain #virtualsangha