Open Awareness is the practice of stabilizing attention with a broad, wide-open focus that allows mental objects, sensations, and sensory experiences to come and go. All mindfulness-based practices are oriented towards stabilizing attention. Sometimes a stable...
I have to admit that I didn’t like loving kindness meditation at first. I took to silent meditation pretty readily. I found it challenging at times, but generally calming and refreshing, and I treasured the simplicity and silence of it. Loving kindness just...
I invite you to become like a bee, moving from flower to flower. In this case, the “flower” being anything beautiful or interesting that draws your attention. Engage your senses to connect with delight: the sun on your cheek, the grass on your feet, honeysuckle in...
On the final day of a multi-week class, a participant asked a question that I’ve pondered for some time. These are not the exact words, but the query was essentially, “Is there a hierarchy of meditation practices? In this class, did we start with the most basic or...
The Body Scan by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Coming to Our Senses The body scan has proven to be an extremely powerful and healing form of meditation. It forms the core of the lying down practices that people train with in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. It involves...
16 Science-Based Reasons to Try Loving-Kindness Meditation By Emma Seppälä | October 1, 2014, Mindful Magazine Many of us have heard of meditation’s benefits. We may have even tried meditation once or twice. And many of us will have found it hard and concluded that...
Loving-Kindness Meditation by Tim Burnett, 2018 Recent research suggests that the mind is “primed” to be more loving, kind, and compassionate but that our educational systems and culture don’t give us many opportunities to develop this. Our culture tends to view...
Mindful Movement with Gentle Yoga Yoga can develop strength, balance, flexibility and body awareness. Our mindful yoga emphasizes awareness and balance. Poses are done carefully and slowly and attention is held inside the body. Please consider the following as you...
Maintaining a daily practice – a few suggestions Question subjective experience in meditation Recognize that the mind desires pleasant experience. Don’t assume that difficult or unpleasant conditions during meditation mean it “isn’t working.” Meet “what...
Awareness of Breathing: Stabilizing the Mind Awareness of Breathing is a go-to mindfulness practice you can do almost anywhere and anytime. Find a stable position for the body (sitting is traditional, but standing or laying down work too), and gather your awareness...
Last month I wrote about the practice of walking meditation and how this daily activity, or something similar, can be woven into one’s regular mindfulness practice. In this month’s article, I’ll expand on my explanation of walking meditation by presenting some...
