Tip of the Nose – Day 3 The meditations at the beginning of any new round of the Practice of Living Awareness support making ourselves available to meditation… or better yet, making ourselves available to being meditative. Last week’s Smile meditations offered a welcoming of sorts. This week’s meditations offer the opportunity to look around and … More Space to be Gentle
There’s so much to take in as we are perched. Today’s meditation takes us to the perch where we notice the usually not noticed. Observation is an activity that’s greatly enhanced by blended mix of curiosity and stillness. What’s present? Perhaps there’s ‘the noticed’ as well as ‘the not noticed,’ activity as well as stillness, inner … More The Perch
Tip of the Nose Meditation – Day 1 As the saying goes, sometimes what you are looking for is right under your nose. Could it be the ease of a smile? Certainly that’s right under your nose. It turns out these two bodily features have a beautiful relationship, at least in meditation. Both the tip of the … More The Nose Knows
We’re offering a stream of contemplations each Sunday with Éowyn Ahlstrom, reflecting on the meditation theme of the week within the Practice of Living Awareness. This week we worked with the smile as a form of welcoming meditation practice into your day as well as welcoming the present moment into your awareness. Éowyn is a … More Pondering the Practice
Smile Meditation – Day 3 This week we have been working with a basic premise of mindfulness: paying attention to what is happening right here, right now… without judgement. Why the last segment – without judgement? Judgement is a form of contraction. When we judge, we create stories around what’s happening. We label it, … More Allowing for What’s Next
“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” – Mother Teresa While a smile has a vibrational ripple effect that extends far beyond our perceptive reach, we can immediately sense the goodness that wearing one and sharing one brings. Smiles not only make us feel happy, but they also help … More Smile and the World Smiles Back
Smile Meditation – Day 1 Spacious and easy: these can be the qualities of this very moment, if we choose to bring them forward. They’re a bit like the clear blue sky… always there, yet not always revealed. Perhaps we simply need to look up more and take it in, or give the cloud cover … More Begin With a Smile
Living Awareness – Day 3 It has been a distinct pleasure meditating with you over the course of the last fourteen weeks. For this last meditation of this current round, we enjoy sitting – just sitting. Thank you for meditating. And the world thanks you. Living Awareness Meditation – Day 3
Living Awareness Meditation – Day 2 Life is a creative process. We are consistently met with the present moment which is the direct result of each previous moment made manifest and giving way to this one. Like the breath, every coming and going sets the stage for a new cycle of comings and goings. And … More Shining Bright
Living Awareness Meditation – Day 1 This is the final week of postings for this round of meditations. If you’ve been with us for the last thirteen weeks, congratulations on setting the intention to develop a working and sustainable meditation practice – it is called a “meditation practice” for a reason. By now, as we … More Arriving
Toroidal Flow Meditation – Day 3 If we were to set the intention of focusing on harmlessness and inclusivity throughout the day, our thoughts, words, and actions would naturally become more altruistic. We would begin to see the evidence (and the perfection) of toroidal flow in action. On that day, and perhaps for many days … More Ripples of Hope
Toroidal Flow Meditation – Day 2 We are in a constant state of evolution. Becoming arrives at a place called being and, alas, as a result of our ever-changing, ever-expanding universe, being is becoming again. This is the construct of our time/space existence and it magnificently grants us the freedom to create our own reality. Energy … More Exquisite Expression
Flow, in the shape of a torus (pictured above), is happening all around you… microcosmically and macrocosmically. It exists as an atom, the earth, the human heart, a chakra, and our galaxy to name a few. Toroidal flow is energy in circuitous motion. We have worked with flow from the very moment that we began this practice. Our day … More The Torus
Central Channel Meditation – Day 3 What does it mean to feel “centered?” Most would say that when they feel centered, they can sense the fullness of their being. They feel poised or collected or aligned. We could use any number of terms that refer to a sense of equilibrium. If I were to invite … More Back To Center
Central Channel Meditation – Day 2 Meditation is often promoted as a practice that facilitates peace of mind for the practitioner. This is true, but there’s more… much more. Meditation is also helpful with mental receptivity; in this sense, it can be very creative. Meditation can produce new thoughts, illuminations, and inspirations. This is the … More Seed Thoughts for the Chakras
Central Channel – Day 1 This week’s meditations bring awareness to the stream of energy which connects all aspects of our being: the physical body, emotions, mind, and spirit. Now that body and ground are part of our meditation training, we can lean into them for the stability required to focus on some of the … More Your Aspiration Mechanism
Ground of Being – Day 3 Numerous astronauts have described the experience of seeing the Earth floating in infinite space as one that generates a keen sense of awe, wonder, and blissful curiosity. Many also say that they saw the Earth is a living organism of which they are a part. With humility, I … More The Human Experience
Ground of Being Meditation – Day 2 “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. Perhaps you’ve chosen to meditate to get closer to the truth of things… … More Interconnectedness
Ground of Being Meditation – Day 1 Human being. Being human. Being still. Still being. Being grounded. Grounded being. Yes, meditation accentuates all of these states of being. Working directly with the mind for the last two weeks may have generated a bit of reverence for the incredible vessel, your body, which made those experiences possible. This … More Your Body, Your Ground
Luminous Perception Meditation – Day 3 This meditation is always worth pulling out of the archives at this point in the practice… the time to go universal! Within the light of the mind, anything is possible. Today’s meditation is a journey into the realms of the creative imagination, where your luminous self resides, waiting for the … More Universal Beingness
Step #10, Luminous Perception – Day 2 A dimly lit room allows for general vision – you can see objects and have a general idea of the space. As you turn the light up on the dimmer switch, everything becomes clearer and you may see objects that you hadn’t seen before. Details emerge. As we … More Perfect, Whole and Complete
Luminous Perception Meditation – Day 1 Activity can generate energy – rub your hands together for 30 seconds and you’ll notice energy being generated. The acting of rubbing your hands together also requires energy; it’s an exchange. The mind is no different. As we aspire to higher vibratory levels of the mind (put energy in), … More Your Luminous Perception
Mind Meditation- Day 3 Awareness is omnipresent; it just is. Our mind operates within the field of awareness and wisdom precipitates from it. As we create stability in the mind through non-judgmental attention (mindfulness + concentration), we create a doorway into the vast field of awareness. This doorway can easily become obstructed or even slammed shut … More Vastitude
Mind Meditation – Day 2 The Eightfold Path was consistently presented by the Buddha as a guide to end suffering. The eight suggested directions of the path are divided into three groupings: ethical conduct (right speech, right action, and right livelihood), mental discipline (right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration), and wisdom (right thought and … More Samadhi
Mind Meditation – Day 1 Meditation teachings have one clear purpose: befriending the mind. In order to do this, you have to spend some time together. Make a date, find a quiet place and ask, “how have you been?” After the steady intensity of the last seven days… prepare yourself for an earful; that’s what friends are for! Let’s … More “How are you, friend?”
Asana Meditation – Day 3 In sitting upright and lengthening the spine, the breath has an opportunity to become balanced. A sloppy posture usually means a sloppy breath, a sloppy attitude, and a sloppy response to that which arises during meditation. An upright posture usually supports a poised mind and a poised attitude. From this … More Asana as Altitude
As we tally… meditate! Asana Meditation – Day 2 How do you sense your body? How do you sense your body’s alignment? That may depend on how you define your body. Proper asana is not limited to the alignment of your physical body; it also includes your emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies. Perhaps you experience … More Cooperative Components
Asana Meditation – Day 1 It is a common misconception that meditation is a way to escape or check-out from physical reality. We would say that the contrary is true; that meditation is a way to check-in. It is full immersion into the now – and that includes the body, the mind and the spirit. … More Inner and Outer Posture
Interlude Meditation – Day 3 Squared breathing engages the parasympathetic nervous system, which is often referred to as the body’s rest & digest system. Typically this system works autonomously, meaning it is involuntary – it does its own thing in its own time. Nonetheless, squared breathing is voluntary and it shifts, or seems to down-shift, the nervous system … More Squared Breathing
Interlude Meditation – Day 2 Noticing is a skill. It reveals the incredible abundance of life on earth. Why? Because there is just so much to notice. Sensing when to shift your attention to the next noticing or perhaps noticing when you have received enough from this moment and releasing it all together. What a skill to … More Within the Stillness
Interlude Meditation – Day 1 We will work with interludes this week, which means we will be paying attention to the space between: the space between thoughts; the space between breaths; the space between moments. As always, paying attention requires a bit of allowing… allowing the precious space between to become the noticed space. In doing so, a … More The Space Between
Heart-Mind Meditation – Day 3 As the national US election nears, it is easy to default to focusing on our differences and on that which separates us. It is the perfect time within the practice to generate some heart focused positivity and offer it to those in need… most likely each and every one of … More Loving Kindness
Heart-Mind Meditation – Day 2 When we center our awareness in the heart, we are accessing the space within ourselves where we find presence; where we often put our hand when we refer to “I” or “me” in earnest. As we breathe and gently focus upon the heart, we begin to expand and include. The … More Heart Connection
Heart-Mind Meditation – Day 1 We are all a part of the expression of life… each and every one of us. Those we love. Those who challenge us. Those we admire. Those we fear. Those who shape us. At times this human experience can seem merciless and at times it can seem blessed beyond belief; … More Heart-Mind Awareness
Soften, Open, Release Meditation – Day 3 Peace starts with shaping our interior; molding, trimming, and creating space for it. Peace can then move out into the world. You need only sense into the experience of judgement, blame, and divisiveness to feel the heaviness. Peace feels lighter and more free. Creating space for peace, naturally makes room for experiences such … More Let Go. Find Joy.
Soften, Open, Release Meditation – Day 2 Receive, release, and receive again. This is the natural flow of occurrences that affects our lives in the grandest and the most subtle ways. Yet, this process can easily become distorted. We often resist receiving and releasing. It is easy to cling. We cling to the past. We … More Release Into Spaciousness
Soften, Open, Release Meditation – Day 1 It is autumn in New England. Each day fresh colors splash across the tree-line to create an ever-new, ever-colorful, ever-changing landscape. It is a spectacle that we look forward to each year… and a celebration of release. It supports this week’s meditation theme: Soften, Open, and Release. Receiving … More Gold, Then Gone
Soften, Open, Receive Meditation – Day 3 To inspire another person is to fill them with the desire to be creative, to be expansive or to experience more. When we are inspired, we naturally become receptive. The word “inspire” is derived from the Latin word inspirare meaning, ‘to breathe or blow into.’ in (into) + spirare (breathe) = inspirare: to excite, to inflame; to put life into … More Experiencing More
Soften, Open, Receive Meditation – Day 2 We are constantly receiving. During waking hours, our sensory perceptions are constantly translating our experiences. At the same time, we are choosing where to land our awareness and what to allow in. Softening to an experience and allowing it to linger in the field of awareness takes practice. … More The Art of Allowing
You receive a new breath every few seconds. There are great teachings within this natural occurrence; you need only to make yourselves fully available it. Softening and opening to the breath makes one receptive to the meditative experience. As this practice begins to permeate your awareness, you begin to sense whether you are rigid or soft, … More Present and Receptive
Flow Meditation – Day 3 “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu, author of Tao Te Ching. There is a time to take a stand, to act, and to say, … More Flow Forward
Flow Meditation – Day 2 Are you able to go with the flow? Do you meet change with open-mindedness and with little resistance? Fact is, adaptability is essential to our longevity; at very least, it helps us get through the day with ease. Practicing flow helps us cultivate lots of positive qualities – a willingness … More Drip. Drop. Drip.
Flow Meditation – Day 1 Thoughts can line up in the mind like airplanes cued on the runway for take-off. As soon as one disappears in the distance, a new one revs its engines. It is called a thought-stream after-all. “What is that noise?” “Oh, it’s the dryer.” “Did I clean the lint filter when … More Observing Flow
Tip of the Nose Meditation – Day 3 Meditation is an exercise in choice. It brings forward a particular aspect of our beingness – the observer. As we move into this role, as we observe the mind and its thoughts, emotions and their sway, and the physical body and its sensations, we may choose how … More The Freedom to Choose
Tip of the Nose Meditation – Day 2 The essence of this week’s theme, Tip of the Nose, is captured in the photo above. This child is still, focused, captivated, and fully present. Perhaps the outer environment is crowded and hectic; needless to say, the plane is moving 600 mph… but no worries because from … More Taking It All In
Tip of the Nose Meditation – Day 1 We meet here again to meditate. Wonderful! Meeting places can be quite specific. Perhaps you have readied yourself for meditation in a specific place, a designated quiet zone for an allotted time which allows for peace of mind… your own specific meditation place. This week we are … More The Meeting Place