meditation
Mindly Stuff
Monday, April 7th, 2008It may be obvious by now that I am interested in meditation, mind training, mind/brain stuff. Linda pointed me toward this fascinating conversation about the Shamatha Project with Buddhist scholar B. Alan Wallace. So I listened, and, as she said, it is right up my alley.
B. Alan Wallace, author of The Attention Revolution and Embracing […]
Choices
Monday, March 17th, 2008About a year ago, I read Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, by Sharon Begley, a fascinating look into recent discoveries in the field of neuroscience, particularly in regard to neuroplasticity—the ability of the brain to adapt and change.
The video of Jill Bolte Taylor reminded me of Begley’s book, especially the portions about attention and […]
Let’s Unmire
Saturday, February 16th, 2008First, I want to reassure you all that I am not wallowing. My post the other day probably left some people wondering about my state of mind. I am not depressed or flailing (this time). I am, however, walking this Lenten journey and following where God is leading me. Sometimes that includes a little trip […]
Don’t Throw Anyone Out Of Your Heart
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007From Sharon Salzberg, Buddhist teacher, on metta (loving kindness) practice*:
Doing metta we plant the seeds of love, knowing that nature will take its course and in time those seeds will bear fruit. Some seeds will come to fruition quickly, some slowly, but our work is simply to plant the seeds. Every time we form the […]
Try Not Believing Your Thoughts
Monday, August 6th, 2007John Tarrant wrote, “Try not believing your thoughts—that might be liberating.”*
There are the obvious thoughts that should be tossed (like I don’t deserve to be forgiven or God doesn’t love me), and then there are thoughts that sneak in through the crack under the door and we almost don’t know they’re there. We end up just […]
It’s A Human Construct: This Dichotomy
Thursday, July 26th, 2007The cross hanging on the wall in the yoga shala was a lovely gift when I noticed it during practice—a reminder that yoga and Christianity don’t have to be at odds, that these two loves of mine are not natural enemies. I e-mailed the owner to thank her, and she wrote back: ”I hoped it […]
The Taskmaster Meditates (Woe To You, Part II)
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007The “unloading of the unconscious.” Sounds innocuous enough. Well it isn’t. It Damn Well Is Not. Thomas Keating uses this term to describe a healing process wherein, as a result of consistent meditation practice, all your carefully concealed garbage presents itself for the world to see. It’s like a coming-out party for the two-headed step […]
Woe To You
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007if you come upon me and I’ve skipped my morning meditation. So if you see me coming with a frown on my face, eyes drawn in and vacant, flee. On second thought, it’s hard to tell if fish eyes are drawn in and vacant. . . .
Honestly, I hardly ever skip, because I know I will feel […]
Yoga Shmoga
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007Some days I want to smite yoga right off my list of Main Loves. I never fully understood what people meant when they talked about love-hate relationships until my forays into meditation and Ashtanga yoga. I either like something or I don’t like it, and even though there might be neutral items/people/activities, it’s […]
Drop That Bone Dammit!: wherein Gartenfische explains why she goes through the self-torture of meditating daily.
Sunday, July 1st, 2007I light my candle and I’m sitting there in front of Jesus as I do every morning, (okay, it’s only a picture of Jesus). I’m letting go of thoughts, returning to my breath. Aaaaah, so peaceful, so right. And then, just when I’m feeling pretty smug and well, good, at this, the inevitable happens–a juicy thought […]