A Chance to Explore
Meditation has been shown to offer serious benefits to those who practice it. And diligence, even vigilance, can help make sure our time spent meditating yields those positive results. Yet that doesn’t mean we need to set off on our meditative journey with a serious, stern attitude. And while there are ways to engage in a meditative practice that will help it be time well spent, we needn’t worry about following “rules” or “doing it right”. After all, each of us is unique and we’re the only ones who can fully explore our own experience.
We can set out on our journey with a sense of adventure, exploration, curiosity and play. In order to make sure that we don’t get too lost, we can remind ourselves that staying rooted in the present moment, aware of what’s going on in the body will help us learn the most from our travels. When we take the time to practice, we can invite ourselves to experiment, noticing, for example, what our experience is like:
with eyes open vs. closed,
sitting in a chair vs. laying on the floor (laying on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor is great for the lower back!),
being physically still vs. moving with intentionality,
using the breath or sounds or the feel of feet on the floor as an anchor in the present moment,
allowing the mind to relax and take in all occurrences: thoughts, sounds, sensations, emotions vs. giving the mind something to focus on,
engaging in a mind-focusing activity or one, like compassion, that boosts interpersonal connection,
sitting with hands palm up vs. palm down......
We hope you can join us this week as we set out to explore our own lived experience, moment by moment.
May all beings, without exception, find a sense of play in their practice,
Your friends at CMP
Guided Meditations
Visit the CMP website www.CommunityMindfulnessProject.org for guided meditations. You'll find them on the Guided Meditations page under the Resources tab.
We Need Your Support
CMP thrives on donations. All of our weekly sessions are free and open to the public, but donations are essential to our sustainability. CMP is a licensed charity in the state of CT as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Checks can be given to facilitators at our weekly sits or mailed to Community Mindfulness Project, P.O. Box 1713, New Canaan, CT 06840. Credit cards are accepted in the Giving section of the website (www.CommunityMindfulnessProject.org). For donations of wired funds or appreciated securities, please email welcome@communitymind.org. Thank you!
