John, I remember it being impossible for me to maintain a regular practice when the kids were little -- I've known parents who did, but not many of them, and I certainly wasn't one of them.
I think of raising kids as a practice, though, a practice in not "making territory" of my time. I don't own my time, but I've always believed I did, and I've clutched at that ownership desperately. Still do, sometimes. But having kids loosened that clutch considerably. I think it did more than all my practice to show me how much I wanted to believe I was in control of my time, and to teach me that I really, truly wasn't.
-- Left it late, but I tended my shrine and sat ten minutes last night
This group, and the help given and received, is demonstrating to me the truth of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Irrespective of the support I am getting with my own prayer and meditation - which is considerable - there is something very energising and enlightening about being a small part of something good which is not just about me and my "stuff". It makes me truly human, and that's a real gift.
Hey John, that sounds like a good routine. Things do get a bit tougher when they are older and more mobile. Just need to be open to the meditation being interrupted at any time.
You've made me think about my routines and how I could slot in a time to meditate after all is taken care of for the evening. Thanks for the spark!
I'm keeping at it, and wouldn't without this blog group, I'm sure.
In response to a comment of Lorianne's a few days ago - yes, I think it's important to use the moments we *do* have. You can meditate at your desk or whatever -waiting in lines, even. I always forget this and am grateful when I remember. It's too easy to get hung up on doing it "right", whatever that is. Coming at Zen/Tibetan meditation from a Christian perspective, where there is so much less emphasis on correct posture, maybe it's a little easier to feel free to meditate whenever I can - although I find posture a help, actually.
I sat for five minutes this morning before going off to teach...it was all the time I could spare, but it felt like a "good" five minutes.
And just now (around dinnertime) I sat for another ten minutes even though I was/am sleepy: afternoons are a "down" time for me energy-wise, particularly on days when I teach in the morning & then feel an energy lull before gearing up to teach again at night. But I sat with what energy I could muster.
I think Beth's right about Christians being more flexible about postures and such (no pun intended there). Christians talk about "praying without ceasing," which in my mind is akin to Buddhist mindfulness...and yet as a Buddhist I *still* find myself making distinctions between "real practice" and "everything else."
I did try to walk the dog more meditatively than usual today, repeating a mantra & trying not to *hurry*. But this still doesn't feel like "real" practice, damnit, and that dualistic perspective bugs me.
Yeah, the Zen people are probably the hardest-nosed about posture. Has its upsides and downsides. I do know that posture matters for me -- especially a straight back; if I'm slumped I get fuzzy-minded and can't figure out if I'm distracted or not -- I get a low-level distraction I call "grumbling"; I'm still sort of on the object of meditation, but not very clearly. And there's a lot of value in just training yourself, Pavlov-style -- I remember I'm meditating because my body's in that position and that's what I do when my body's in that position :-)
But the downside, yeah, is that dualism, and putting off doing it because I'm not doing it right.
Sat for 30 minutes tonight. It was a sleepy meditation; but using the breath to come back to over and over helped to wake a bit.
This is good. I can still feel the energy of the extended sittings of the weekend still with me.
On posture, yes us Zen folk stress posture. It really does make a difference (at least for me). Like Dale, I must have a straight back or else it a hazy, lazy meditation.
My first meditation teachers (the FWBO) were also the first to teach me some Alexander Technique, and I'm almost as grateful for the latter as for the former. It not only helps with sitting meditation, but made an enormous difference to my posture generally. Much easier to 'return to the breath' in everyday activity if you're not slumped. Of course I still forget to do so for weeks at a time, but sometimes... I could not recommend Alexander Technique highly enough - even a few lessons has a huge impact.
John (the one who did sesshin last week), I can still feel the energy of my week-long sesshin in early August now, perhaps even more as time goes on. I had never done anything so concentrated and I think it was even huger than I realised straight afterwards. I keep realising in the crazy busy last week or two how much has shifted...
Jean, thanks for sharing that. It's nice to know others have a similar experience with the energies of sesshin carrying over into their everyday lives. I had never experienced this before and I've done 4 or 5 weekend sesshins. The key this time, I think, is the concentrated effort to sit everyday following the weekend.
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Did my ten minutes this morning.
Brava, Jean!
John, I remember it being impossible for me to maintain a regular practice when the kids were little -- I've known parents who did, but not many of them, and I certainly wasn't one of them.
I think of raising kids as a practice, though, a practice in not "making territory" of my time. I don't own my time, but I've always believed I did, and I've clutched at that ownership desperately. Still do, sometimes. But having kids loosened that clutch considerably. I think it did more than all my practice to show me how much I wanted to believe I was in control of my time, and to teach me that I really, truly wasn't.
-- Left it late, but I tended my shrine and sat ten minutes last night
Did my time this morning.
This group, and the help given and received, is demonstrating to me the truth of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Irrespective of the support I am getting with my own prayer and meditation - which is considerable - there is something very energising and enlightening about being a small part of something good which is not just about me and my "stuff". It makes me truly human, and that's a real gift.
Hey John, that sounds like a good routine. Things do get a bit tougher when they are older and more mobile. Just need to be open to the meditation being interrupted at any time.
You've made me think about my routines and how I could slot in a time to meditate after all is taken care of for the evening. Thanks for the spark!
I'm keeping at it, and wouldn't without this blog group, I'm sure.
In response to a comment of Lorianne's a few days ago - yes, I think it's important to use the moments we *do* have. You can meditate at your desk or whatever -waiting in lines, even. I always forget this and am grateful when I remember. It's too easy to get hung up on doing it "right", whatever that is. Coming at Zen/Tibetan meditation from a Christian perspective, where there is so much less emphasis on correct posture, maybe it's a little easier to feel free to meditate whenever I can - although I find posture a help, actually.
I sat for five minutes this morning before going off to teach...it was all the time I could spare, but it felt like a "good" five minutes.
And just now (around dinnertime) I sat for another ten minutes even though I was/am sleepy: afternoons are a "down" time for me energy-wise, particularly on days when I teach in the morning & then feel an energy lull before gearing up to teach again at night. But I sat with what energy I could muster.
I think Beth's right about Christians being more flexible about postures and such (no pun intended there). Christians talk about "praying without ceasing," which in my mind is akin to Buddhist mindfulness...and yet as a Buddhist I *still* find myself making distinctions between "real practice" and "everything else."
I did try to walk the dog more meditatively than usual today, repeating a mantra & trying not to *hurry*. But this still doesn't feel like "real" practice, damnit, and that dualistic perspective bugs me.
Yeah, the Zen people are probably the hardest-nosed about posture. Has its upsides and downsides. I do know that posture matters for me -- especially a straight back; if I'm slumped I get fuzzy-minded and can't figure out if I'm distracted or not -- I get a low-level distraction I call "grumbling"; I'm still sort of on the object of meditation, but not very clearly. And there's a lot of value in just training yourself, Pavlov-style -- I remember I'm meditating because my body's in that position and that's what I do when my body's in that position :-)
But the downside, yeah, is that dualism, and putting off doing it because I'm not doing it right.
May I join you.
I am just starting a 40-day Kundalini Sadhana Meditation -
I have no body
I have no mind
I have no spirit
I'm just the Breath of God
The Breath of Life
Breath of Life
Breath of God.
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Sat for 30 minutes tonight. It was a sleepy meditation; but using the breath to come back to over and over helped to wake a bit.
This is good. I can still feel the energy of the extended sittings of the weekend still with me.
On posture, yes us Zen folk stress posture. It really does make a difference (at least for me). Like Dale, I must have a straight back or else it a hazy, lazy meditation.
My first meditation teachers (the FWBO) were also the first to teach me some Alexander Technique, and I'm almost as grateful for the latter as for the former. It not only helps with sitting meditation, but made an enormous difference to my posture generally. Much easier to 'return to the breath' in everyday activity if you're not slumped. Of course I still forget to do so for weeks at a time, but sometimes... I could not recommend Alexander Technique highly enough - even a few lessons has a huge impact.
John (the one who did sesshin last week), I can still feel the energy of my week-long sesshin in early August now, perhaps even more as time goes on. I had never done anything so concentrated and I think it was even huger than I realised straight afterwards. I keep realising in the crazy busy last week or two how much has shifted...
Jean, thanks for sharing that. It's nice to know others have a similar experience with the energies of sesshin carrying over into their everyday lives. I had never experienced this before and I've done 4 or 5 weekend sesshins. The key this time, I think, is the concentrated effort to sit everyday following the weekend.
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