I'm in the midst of simplifying my blogging life (of 3 sites, I'm down to 2 now), and realized that I hadn't welcomed Janice! I spent 2 years recently in Vancouver, but returned to Toronto this Summer. You are in a beautiful part of the world! Vancouver Island is surely one of those spots that are paradise.
Yesterday I didn't get a break from my funny, adorable teens (my 18 yo son is staying with us for a few days), who take much delight in teasing me endlessly, to meditate even for 5 minutes.
"I need to meditate! Shhh..."
Followed by 2 teens in sloppy semi lotus positions and guan mudras and bursts of "ommmm..." and lots of rocking laughter.
Oh sigh. Sure do love 'em.
(word verification: elwrd, surely short for the L-word!)
meditated for 15 minutes and it was lovely. I was using the image of connecting the breath to the waves coming in and out of the shore. Then I realised I was still separate, so I 'moved' in to the water, but I was still 'I' IN the water. Then, following Wallace' suggestion, there were a few moments where I became the water, and further still a moment when I was the still depths looking up at the shifting light and gentle movement of the surface.
Then there were all the moments when I thought what I would write or what to wear to the party tonight...!
Do you feel it is important to stay with one image throughout a session?
Hello. How good to read you all again. I've been meditating for at least half an hour every day and a couple of times for an hour, and thinking of all of you each time. But once I'd been away from the computer for a few hours realised that - sitting in front of it all day 5 or 6 days a week - I really, really needed a break from it. It's been a quiet, meditative, sleepy time here, seeing hardly anyone apart from dinner on 25th, and feeling very contented with that, but ready to come out of it now.
Have been trying, and completely failing, to meditate with my eyes open, as per tibetan and zen practice. I think closing my eyes is something I luxuriate in, since the rest of the time I tend to be staring at the computer screen, or reading a book, or just staring short-sightedly at all there is to see. That's probably fine. But I don't want to be only able to practise 'one way', so will keep trying when I remember.
Perhaps for the same reason - being very focused on visual images all the rest of the time - I tend not to have a visual image when meditating. Even when I call to mind, say, a person in loving kindness meditation, it tends not to be very visual, or perhaps just momentarily so and then resting in the 'feeling' of that person. Thanks, Ruth, for making me think about this. I hadn't given it much thought before. Have always gone very strongly towards emptiness, conceptlessness, or at least nothing but the breath. Now I come to think about it, I suppose this is quite surprising, being very visually oriented in general. Interesting.
Hi everyone, and welcome Janice, if I forgot to say that before!
We just returned home from the visit with my parents, which went really well for everyone - a gentle surprise and relief for me. My meditation has been mostly at night - even in the middle of it - but I hope to start getting back to regular sitting meditation today. Like Jean, I've thought of you all often and been grateful for this shared practice, and glad everyone seems to have gotten along all right over the holiday.
6 Comments:
It's just started snowing - first fall of the season.
Sat this morning, about 15 minutes. Good.
I'm in the midst of simplifying my blogging life (of 3 sites, I'm down to 2 now), and realized that I hadn't welcomed Janice! I spent 2 years recently in Vancouver, but returned to Toronto this Summer. You are in a beautiful part of the world! Vancouver Island is surely one of those spots that are paradise.
Yesterday I didn't get a break from my funny, adorable teens (my 18 yo son is staying with us for a few days), who take much delight in teasing me endlessly, to meditate even for 5 minutes.
"I need to meditate! Shhh..."
Followed by 2 teens in sloppy semi lotus positions and guan mudras and bursts of "ommmm..." and lots of rocking laughter.
Oh sigh. Sure do love 'em.
(word verification: elwrd, surely short for the L-word!)
meditated for 15 minutes and it was lovely. I was using the image of connecting the breath to the waves coming in and out of the shore. Then I realised I was still separate, so I 'moved' in to the water, but I was still 'I' IN the water. Then, following Wallace' suggestion, there were a few moments where I became the water, and further still a moment when I was the still depths looking up at the shifting light and gentle movement of the surface.
Then there were all the moments when I thought what I would write or what to wear to the party tonight...!
Do you feel it is important to stay with one image throughout a session?
Hello. How good to read you all again. I've been meditating for at least half an hour every day and a couple of times for an hour, and thinking of all of you each time. But once I'd been away from the computer for a few hours realised that - sitting in front of it all day 5 or 6 days a week - I really, really needed a break from it. It's been a quiet, meditative, sleepy time here, seeing hardly anyone apart from dinner on 25th, and feeling very contented with that, but ready to come out of it now.
Have been trying, and completely failing, to meditate with my eyes open, as per tibetan and zen practice. I think closing my eyes is something I luxuriate in, since the rest of the time I tend to be staring at the computer screen, or reading a book, or just staring short-sightedly at all there is to see. That's probably fine. But I don't want to be only able to practise 'one way', so will keep trying when I remember.
Perhaps for the same reason - being very focused on visual images all the rest of the time - I tend not to have a visual image when meditating. Even when I call to mind, say, a person in loving kindness meditation, it tends not to be very visual, or perhaps just momentarily so and then resting in the 'feeling' of that person. Thanks, Ruth, for making me think about this. I hadn't given it much thought before. Have always gone very strongly towards emptiness, conceptlessness, or at least nothing but the breath. Now I come to think about it, I suppose this is quite surprising, being very visually oriented in general. Interesting.
In my neighbors' yard, there are snowdrops up out of the ground and opening ... big fat pink buds on the rhodendron bush
Sitting quietly, doing nothing
Spring comes,and the grass
grows by itself
Hi everyone, and welcome Janice, if I forgot to say that before!
We just returned home from the visit with my parents, which went really well for everyone - a gentle surprise and relief for me. My meditation has been mostly at night - even in the middle of it - but I hope to start getting back to regular sitting meditation today. Like Jean, I've thought of you all often and been grateful for this shared practice, and glad everyone seems to have gotten along all right over the holiday.
Post a Comment
<< Home