What Is Called for in This Moment?

For those of you who have been attending our sessions we would like to take a moment to thank you for your presence, dedication to the practices and for being a part of our community.  CMP has grown and continues to blossom because of you.  If you have come a few times you have likely been exposed to a variety of types of mindfulness and meditation practices.  This is important because depending on our mental states, different practices will be more helpful to us in training our hearts and minds. 
 
When we cultivate the healthy habit of noticing the state of our own mind, we can then take the next step and ask ourselves the question, what is called for in this moment? 
 
If we notice our mind is racing, scattered and/or anxious about a project we are working on, we might choose to turn to the breath as an anchor to stabilize our mind. 
 
If we’ve enjoyed working on that project but have been working on it so hard that we feel a bit closed off, or isolated, loving kindness may help us regain some balance.

If we notice that we are feeling physical discomfort in our lower back, we may turn to a body scan to observe and embrace all the sensations in the body. 
 
When we experience a friend in pain we can turn to compassion as a way of opening our hearts and being better poised to be helpful to them. Compassion can also help diffuse feelings of anger toward others.
 
When we are beating ourselves up for something we said that we wish we hadn’t (maybe in that moment of anger), compassion with an emphasis on self-compassion can be our friend. 
 
And if we’re stuck in a looping pattern of self-focused thoughts, tuning in to sounds can help remind us of the life that is taking place in this very moment outside of our minds and bodies.
 
Or when we are feeling grumpy and out of sorts or even a bit stingy, a gratitude practice can turn our attention to the many joys and treasures in our life, empowering us to act with kindness and generosity toward ourselves and others.
 
If we are feeling a bit buffeted by the winds of life, resting in the sense of strength, clarity and calm provided by mountain, sky and lake equanimity practices might support our resilience.

With a few trusted practices in our back pockets, we can be more resourceful in cultivating healthy habits of mind.  This week we invite you to join us in asking the question, what is called for in this moment?   Our meditations will be self guided, but we will practice together in community.  We will also offer a gong meditation at Sama Yoga this Monday night.  Please join us!

CMP survives on donations. All of our weekly sessions are free and open to the public, but donations are essential to our sustainability. Checks, cash and credit cards are accepted and donations are tax deductible.
Stay up-to-date on all CMP news and happenings by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Meetup and Insight Timer and our website CommunityMindfulnessProject.org.

May we all rest in a sense of abundance,
The CMP Team