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Welcome.

Making the leap to Wordpress.

Here's to the adventure.

Nice to have you here!

I am just back from a 30-day silent retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County, California.  A wonderful, challenging, sobering and liberating time.  I’m happy to be back and into action again.

Applications for The Year of Living Mindfully are due March 15.  You can download an application here.  We’ve got a great group forming.

Here’s a bit on my upcoming teaching schedule:

Each week in March I’ll be leading evening classes (Monday Night on Capitol Hill and Tuesday nights in Arlington, VA).

March 11th: Three-day residential Energy Intensive at Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA.
March 26th: Day-long seminar entitled “Focusing and Mindfulness to treat Trauma and PTSD” at Marymount University”
April 2nd: Weekend residential intensive called Buddha and the Body at Kripalu Center.
April 17th: Daylong retreat entitled Buddha and the Body, featuring Dynamic Meditation. (Information on registration up soon.)
April 30th – March 7: Twice-daily mindful movement at the IMCW Spring Retreat.  (Wait-listed.)

If This Is It

It’s always pleasing when popular culture draws on the message of ‘being here now.’  This is a ridiculously addictive song you might enjoy.

This video was embedded using the YouTuber plugin by Roy Tanck. Adobe Flash Player is required to view the video.

A few lyrics:

but if i had one chance
to freeze time
and stand still
and soak in everything
i’d choose right now
if i had one night
where sunshine could break through
and show you everything
i’d choose right now

if this is it
all we have
i know i’ve done all i can
if this is it
and we can’t stop
and start again
we can’t fast forward to the end
this is it

(Thanks, Elizabeth.)

Happy For No Reason: Impromptu Duet

It’s been a long time since a good “Happy for no Reason” video came along.

This is great.  No introduction needed.

This video was embedded using the YouTuber plugin by Roy Tanck. Adobe Flash Player is required to view the video.

(Thanks, Vicki.)

March 26th, “Focusing and Mindfulness to treat Trauma and PTSD”

If you are interested in the application of Mindfulness and the modality of Focusing, you might enjoy this day.  It will be comprised of four 1.5 hour presentations.

Join us for an Educational Seminar sponsored by Chi Sigma Iota at Marymount University:

“Focusing and Mindfulness to treat Trauma and PTSD”

Friday, March 26, 2010 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Honorable Guest Speaker:

Jonathan Foust

Seminar Description: Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy comes from the pioneering work of philosopher and psychologist Eugene Gendlin at the University of Chicago, where he collaborated with Carl Rogers. Dr. Gendlin’s work has been honored by three awards from The American Psychological Association.  His research found that successful therapy is largely based on what the client is doing internally for a whole bodily “felt sense” of their situation. These findings led to further research in the last fifty years and to exact understandings about how this inner checking can be found.  This workshop will discuss and show how to use these techniques to enter into the body more deeply and   find intricate patterns of personal experience.  This seminar will show how Focusing is used to heal trauma and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) by helping to contact the bodily felt sense of a traumatic experience as a safe observer.  During the day the presentation will also offer experiential teaching and learning by allowing “hands on” application of these techniques.  These teachings are also valuable for dealing with difficult emotions and moods, addictions, compulsions, grief and loss, and other commonly known issues and disorders.

Jonathan Foust: Jonathan is a certified Focusing teacher by the International Focusing Institute. He is also accredited in the field of Mindfulness training and is a senior teacher in the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW). He has practiced meditation and yoga since 1972. A senior teacher and former president of Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, he has been teaching yoga and meditation for over twenty years in both residential and corporate settings.  Jonathan leads three weekly meditation classes as well as retreats in the DC area and around the country. He is the creator of the “Year of Living Mindfully” program and offers private sessions in Focusing, a body-oriented therapy that is powerfully synergistic with mindfulness meditation.

Friday, March 26, 2010 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm  ∙  Registration begins at 8:00 am

Marymount University  ∙  Ballston Academic Center

1000 N. Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA  22203

Walter B. Truland Auditorium (First Floor)

Metro Accessible ~ Ballston Metro Stop / Orange Line

Very limited parking available

Continental breakfast and afternoon refreshments are included in registration fee – Lunch is on your own

Registration Form (Registration Deadline: March 19, 2010)

Name:  ________________________________ Address: _____________________________________

Phone Number:  _________________________ Email: _____________________________________

Registration Fee:          Marymount Students / Alumni ($25.00)  ________

Professionals / Community Members ($60.00) ______

*Mail this registration form along with a check payable to Marymount University, CSI to:

Steve Zappalla, Graduate Admissions, 2807 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22207

Questions?  Please Contact Steve Zappalla at szappi1@hotmail.com or 571-271-7284

I’m Baaaaaack!

Morning Sunrise at Spirit Rock

Morning Sunrise at Spirit Rock

As the teacher Adyashanti says, “Sit still long enough with your eyes closed and something is gonna happen.”

Indeed.  A lot did.

The first many days I focused on getting concentrated.  No, actually, the first few days were trying to stay awake.  I think I slept over ten hours the first few nights.

After that, I started to work on sharpening my capacity to stay present.  I did Anapana Sati – breath awareness – and thinking I might make this a concentration retreat, I focused on the very subtle sensation of the breath against my upper lip.

After a number of days – I can’t remember how many – I decided I’d open up my awareness beyond this strict concentration practice and in the silence and undistracted schedule, was treated to the spectacle of the mind manufacturing an unbelievable amount of content.

One thing I always come to recognize is just how shameless the mind is.

I experienced moments of amazing expansiveness and presence as well as old hurts, petty grievances, planning, fantasy and small-mindedness.  Mostly what I came to experience was how little control we actually have over the mind and the different states of consciousness as they come and go.  After a few weeks of paying attention to this it can be incredibly entertaining to watch the mind thinking in a moment of clarity, “What a great job I’m doing!” and during a meditation filled with disheartening fog, “What went wrong?  How do I get ‘back there?’”.

Eventually I began to see there is nowhere to ‘get.’  And that’s when the relaxation began to flow, a deepening awareness of the qualities of impermanence, clinging and the truly ephemeral sense of ’self.’

I was really happy to go.  And really happy to be back.

What to Bring?

All My Stuff.

All. My. Stuff.

It’s time to pack.

One month.

My goal:  One bag.

It’s the heart of the wet season in Northern California and the temperature will range from 40 – 60 degrees.  For an ectomorph like me, these temperatures can still feel pretty chilly when it’s so humid.

My rule of thumb is to bring just enough so that if I wear everything on the coldest day, I’m still toasty.  I wash my clothes when I take my daily shower.  (I use a waterproof bag for soaking and rinsing.)

Here’s a list of what I’m taking on retreat.  It all fits in one carryon bag.

Feet

Hiking boots.  Waterproof, for hiking in rain and mud.

Crocs.  Light, comfy slip-ons.

4 pair of Thorlo hiking socks and 3 pair of liners.  (An indulgence, as socks are such a pain to hand-launder and can take a long time to dry.)

Legs

2 pair quick-drying underwear

1 pair of light-weight long underwear

1 pair of fleece pants

2 pair of nylon, lightweight pants.

1 pair gym shorts

Torso

2 pair silk undershirts

2 pair quick-dry undershirts

1 lightweight merino wool zip

1 fleece shirt

Outerwear

Travel Vest

Rain jacket

Rain pants

Down sweater

Patagonia sweatshirt with hood

Rain hat

Wool cap

Sealskins lightweight waterproof gloves

Outdoor / Adventure

Nylon daypack

Water bottle

Steripen water purifier

Hydration tablets

Hiking-sized first aid kit

Sunglasses

Small LED flashlight

Mind

Two spiral bound notebooks for journaling

As It Is, by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

The Sound of Silence by Ajahn Sumedho

Small Boat, Great Mountain, by Amaro Bikhu

Practicing the Jhanas, by Stephen Snyder and Tina Rasmussen

Toilette

OralB toothbrush with charger

Neti pot and non-iodized salt

Tongue scraper

Floss

Soap

Concentrated mouthwash

Rescue Remedy

Toothpaste

Razor

Shaving oil

Laundry

Unscented liquid laundry soap

Waterproof bag for soaking

2 inflatable hangers for drying shirts

Elastic clothesline

Sundry

Earplugs

Eye mask

Inflatable meditation cushion

Lightweight wool shawl

“Miracle Balls” (Small plastic balls for releasing pressure on the spine)

Heavy weight elastic band (for strength training if I get inspired)

Supplements

Fish oil

Vitamin B

Vitamin C

Multi vitamin

Excedrin migraine pain reliever

Emergen-C

Technology

iPhone

iPhone charger

Headphones

Backup battery

Canon G11 camera

Battery charger

Lightweight tripod

LED reading light

Small extension cord

One Bag.

One Bag.