The first several steps of The Practice of Living Awareness give us the tools and techniques to learn Peaceful Abiding (shamatha). Just as important is the constant encouragement to take each of those techniques or tools into one’s life.
- Smile – lighten up
- Breathe – you are alive. Celebrate life.
- Flow – set your own pace with your day. Let patience guide you.
- Soften, Open – speaks for itself
- Receive, Release – speaks for itself again
- Asana – composure, equilibrium, integrity
So much more could said about each of these and the integration of their wholeness into one’s life, state of mind, wholeness of emotional well-being, and relations.
The next several steps of The Practice bring us into the workings of Insight (vipassana). This means to get to know the states of mind (on and off the cushion), the inner terrain of the chakra system and central channel, and to put it together with the stability and luminous presence generated through Peaceful Abiding – the first half of The Practice’s steps.
I encourage you to listen to the 4 minute explanation at the beginning of this podcast, Then the rest of the meditation is largely a silent presence meditation of Shamatha (Peace).
Downloadable podcast: Choose your state of mind