We started the class with some light yoga, being mindful of how our body feels which each stretch and pose. We used intention with each movement. At the end Brett read the following poem...
If I Had My Life Over - by Nadine Stair
If I had my life to live over, I'd dare to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax, I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.
In our discussion which followed Brett talked about how the goal of Mindful Meditation is not an empty mind but to stay present. We start each meditation with an intention to stay present, Brett reminded us of how powerful intention is.
Some people were frustrated with their inability to stop thinking. Brett offered the following insights; Try to feel less compelled by your thoughts, try to engage with them less, see them for what they really are. Naming them can be helpful - that's a thought - that's a judgement - I'm planning - I'm beating myself for doing this 'wrong'. As a therapist he told us that naming things for what they really are and being able to sit with it rather than avoid it, helps us most in letting go of them. This awareness of what's actually happening is in itself mindfulness!
We reviewed our homework of being aware and recording a pleasant event each day, recalling how we knew it was pleasant, how our bodies felt. We discussed the compulsion to sometimes cling to pleasant feelings and to resist unpleasant feelings. To seek pleasure and avoid pain is human nature. Buddhist call this a recipe for suffering. Everything is constantly shifting.
"Buddhist teachings point out that suffering arises when we resist whatever is happening in the present moment. When we don't accept the moment as it is, we suffer. While it is the most natural thing in the world to try to avoid pain, pain is unavoidable; it is a fact of life. When we resist this fact, we suffer."
We ended the class with some walking meditations, focusing on the sensations and feeling of our soles touching the floor, starting each step and each turn with intention.
Homework:
- Alternate Body Scan with Mindful Movement (yoga)
- Daily sitting meditation for 10-15 minutes, attention on breath
- Fill out unpleasant event calender each day
- Practise being mindful of going on "automatic pilot", paying attention to when, and under what circumstances, it occurs. What pulls you off centre? What do you most not want to look at or be with?
~ Future Forward
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