Mind:flu:ness – moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. ||
So, what’s all the fuss about mindfulness? Will it really help us cope with stress, improve sleep, decrease depression and increase compassion? Is it actually going to enhance relationships and change our brains? Well, maybe, yes. But more simply, mindfulness is a gateway to finding ease and joy with whatever arises moment to moment.
Try this. Turn your attention inside and notice what is there. Notice your thoughts, your emotions and bodily sensations. Most of our time is spent thinking about what happened in the past, what is going to happen in the future, or how we can change the way we are feeling right now. There are voices filled with opinions, judgments, strivings and preferences. We think about how things will be when we finally get our dream job, why our relationship with our mother is so difficult, or how we can stop the fear and anxiety that fill us. What if we were to let go of the past and future and just practice becoming aware of what is happening in this moment? As Zen Master Dogen says, “If you can’t find the truth right where you are, where do you expect to find it?”
Mindfulness meditation is a gateway to the truth of what is happening right where we are. It is not about trying to change who we are or how we are, but rather encourages us to get intimate with whatever is arising. It is a way of becoming aware of all those voices inside us, and befriending them over time. It is a practice for finding calm in an attention-deficit society, and a means for accessing creativity in the midst of despair. And it is the act of simply sitting and seeing what is there. When our minds settle and we become one with whatever arises, we stop struggling with our experience. The world around us becomes fuller and more vivid, and we have more freedom to engage with those around us. And, while it may not last, this taste of awareness can have lasting effects. Join us for a 4-week session to explore the practice of mindfulness meditation in a supportive environment. You just might find it changes everything.
Lisa Gibson is offering a series of 4 classes on Mindfulness.
Wednesday evenings, 7pm-8:30pm
September 30 to October 21.
$100 for all 4 or $25 each class.
Come as you are.
Register in the event section of stretchvancouver.com
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