The Basics
The definition of mindfulness shared by the renowned author and meditation teacher, Jon Kabot-Zinn, states that mindfulness is an “awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and articular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. Research has supported Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as a useful tool in helping individuals and institutions deal with stress. Our intention was to travel with a theme of mindfulness intertwined with our formal and informal practices of being more aware, more authentic and more engaged with reality.
Mindfulness Resources
- We regularly use an app called “Insight Timer” which offers free guided meditations, lectures, music etc. It also has a timer with bells and ommmms that is useful for silent meditations. Here is the link – www.insighttimer.com or search your phone’s store for this great resource!
- Click below for short introductory meditations by Mindful Trails.
Reflection from a Retreat
Scott and I were able to attend an Art of Living Retreat this fall in Boone N.C.. Beside being a beautiful location with falling leaves and falling snow, we focused on yoga, breathing techniques and deepening our meditation practice. The instructors and the curriculum were sincere and modeled the Art of Happiness philosophies. It was amazing how we could make such good connections with our new friends from all over the world despite being in silence! (yes we still laughed and giggled in silence!)
Carolyn’s Reflection – One of my objectives at the retreat was to deepen my practice of meditation as well as yoga. I also benefited from the sustained breathing exercises and the silent periods that allowed me to reflect without the daily distractions of life, conversation and action. As I was able to calm my mind and let go of my thoughts better and better, I became aware of the more centered core of my unchanging values and source of potential peace. During one meditation, I had some clarity on what it means to be unattached to outcomes or form. Here is my draft with exposure to the workings of my mind.
Existence for us takes the form of thoughts, body, goals, doing, community, etc. There are often conflicting perspectives of each of these concepts just as there are in nature depending on your point of view. If there are no attachments to any of these forms, the challenges of op-positional and adversarial positions, become less entrenched or painful allowing us to get closer and closer to acceptance and peaceful states.
Take a look at the foundation of our universe with matter and energy. Upon examination we can observe that there are often simple opposite facets of any object that are both necessary and even complimentary. A specific and familiar example would be the value of light. As the sun shines there are clearly positive characteristics. It is bright, warm, allows for plants to celebrate and perform photosynthesis and so on. The opposing side of that is that there will be shadows (when an object enters the equation), there will be too much or too little heat at times for the habitat, there can be sunburn, and any change can put an environment at risk or put an entire planet in peril. Two sides of one situation. As you may remember, without the darkness, there would be no light. Because of night, we value our day!
At the personal and intimate form closer to our own lives, our own body also has partnerships of opposing forces that work together for a complimentary balance. We have the ever changing see-saw of our hormone’s negative and positive feedback systems for adrenaline and hunger or blood sugar adjustments. We have input of nutrients and output of wastes. Our muscles have extensors and flexors that work as paired relationships to allow for movement and stability of sitting still. The tension and contractions of our core and our back keeps us upright if we are in balance. Even our beloved breathing has an inhale and exhale to allow our life to exist.
There are innumerable examples in the body, but expanding beyond to large systems, such as a political community where there are multiple points of view of partisanship – school waivers or not, centralized money system for all of Europe, Bitcoin or who can participate in military action or not… Those formations of a society shape the boundaries and stretch the cultural framework and ideologies.
The mind dances continuously with thoughts and musings depending on the perspectives and the situations. “Should I stay or should I go?” was a popular song by The Clash and simplifies our ongoing debate and internal dialogue. Any contemplation will offer an illustration of the Sutra presented by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, “Opposite values are complimentary.” I want to relax AND I want to have purpose and positive impact. I want to be alone to create or reflect, yet I want to be in community to connect. Each of us needs to find our own homeostasis of body, balance of mind or even our own tipping point if change is needed.
So where does suffering come in? This is when contemplation or opposing forces in our life pour into angst. This is where passion for being right not doing right becomes the goal. This is where having a resolution out weighs the compassion or focus on the relationships Sri Sri Shank uses the word /feverish/ to describe what I feel is the loss or confusion of our deeper intention in finding our commonalities, our compassion and puts at risk of being driven farther away from grace.
We can disagree. We can take different sides, different shapes, different positions and create varied tapestries of life choices than may even conflict within ourselves.
But if we attach to the outcomes, the shape of our thoughts or even the shape of our bodies as our only or main identity, then we feel only the opposing forces of contradictions, ambivalence, and we become greedy for our own identity.
As opposed to being at peace with our unifying existence, our compassion and our connection to being from the same source in the universe. Deep down, we are made of the same molecules, and the same energy that holds us together and crafts the forms we have manifested in as beings.
What if different physics operated our matter and the forces of our energy? What if we were made of different molecules? Could we still understand our unity and commonalities? What if we had different brains that worked like a totally different computer, that functioned not with opposition of a binary system, but with a uni-ary code? (Yes, I just made the word uni-ary up!)
Thanks for reading this, as I try to figure this out in words. : )
Namaste
The divine in me honors and bows to the light and divine in you…
Workshop Facilitation
Scott and Carolyn have received training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) from Mindful Kids Miami and Horizon Behavioral Health. They have participated in Teacher Trainings and practice mindfulness regularly.
With professional backgrounds in leadership and education, each for over 25 years, they are prepared to lead 1-2 hour mindfulness workshops and meditation groups that follows the nonsecular Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program.
Mindfulness Workshops will be provided free to community groups along our path of travels during the window of August 2017 to May 2018.
Please email mindfultrails.org@gmail.com for more information or to schedule a session for your campground, community center or organization.
“May you be well. May you have what you need. May you be at ease.
May I be well. May I have what I need. May I be at ease.
May we be well. May we have what we need. May we be at ease.”
Namaste