Greetings from Jonathan Foust: When Things Don't Go Our Way, The Energy Intensive... Five Breaths and More
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Welcome!
To be reminded of change all I have to do is wander around outside.
Larger flocks of geese just started moving through. It’s been hot and the water is quite warm now, supporting moss, mold, algae and everything that feeds on them.
Mornings are filled with clouds of bugs that ramp up their activity this time of year as if they know their time is limited. Spiders are weaving more and more webs.
A fisherman I often see at sunrise told me he hung out with some baby river otters last week.
I hope, in the midst of all that is changing around you, you are finding some peace and presence.
Upcoming Events
September 14:
YLM8 Evening Session Learn More
September 26:
Evening Class at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington Learn More
September 29:
The Energy Intensive: Yoga, Meditation and Breathwork at Kripalu Center Learn More
October 3:
Evening Class at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington Learn More
October 8:
YLM8 Daylong Retreat Learn More
When Things Don’t Go Our Way
The damn hood on my Honda Element wouldn't close.
I had just inflated my Paddleboard with a 12-volt pump. I hook up the cables to the battery terminals for power.
I usually just drop the open hood and it clicks into place. But this time it was different.
I dropped it again. No familiar click.
I dropped it and pushed down. No luck.
Irritated now, I dropped it and put some weight behind it. No way.
Angry now, I tried again. I smashed the hood down. Nothing.
Hmm. Maybe something was in the way?
I found the culprit. My iPhone!
Dread turned to relief as the iPhone case saved it from being destroyed.
When things don’t go our way, we have some pretty predictable reactions. They usually fall into these categories:
* Aversion: Anger, judgement and blame * Craving: Planning, Fantasy and mental disassociation * Worry: Anxiety, Restlessness * Sloth and Torpor: Losing energy * Doubt: Self-Judgement and the ruthless critic
In this case, I defaulted to anger.
All of this could have been averted with a little more awareness.
When something challenging arises, the RAIN acronym comes in handy.
(R) Recognize what’s happening (A) Allow it if you can (I) Investigate and be intimate with what’s happening (N) Nourish what is there with awareness and compassion
This month I’ve given a bunch of talks on "Strategies." While the RAIN acronym lies at the heart of working with challenges, I’ve got other tips there as well.
Strategies for Transforming Your Relationship with Physical Pain
Strategies for Transforming Your Relationship with Anger
Strategies for Transforming Your Relationship with Addiction
I hope you find these helpful. Itunes podcast: Listen Here Youtube: Watch Here
Fresh Photos
Water. Heat. Bugs. A gang of cormorants at morning meditation. 
Swallows take a short break from feasting on clouds of bugs. 
The Stockbridge Bowl, pre-morning swim. 
A storm brewing on the Potomac. 
Summer foliage on the river. 
Geese on the move. 
One of thousands of webs in the meadow. 
Video: Five Breaths: August on the River
This short video invites you into slow, full deep breathing with images from the Potomac from this last month.
The Energy Intensive: Meditation, Yoga and Breathwork at Kripalu Centers
September 29 - October 2
If youre looking for a three-day weekend intensive dedicated to slowing down, de-stressing and enlivening your practice, you might like to join me and my co-leader Shobhan Richard Faulds at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA.
This weekend is highly experiential, mostly in silence and designed to raise and stabilize energy and awareness.
The program culminates with a morning session of powerful breathwork using a technique that for many, provides deep release and insights. For more information and to register.
Latest from the Blog
Two-Minute Meditation: Move from Thought to Sensation
Strategies for Transforming Your Relationship with Anxiety
In All Directions
Strategies for Transforming Your Relationship with Anger
Strategies for Transforming Your Relationship with Physical Pain
Greetings from Jonathan Foust: Recent Dharma Talks, The Energy Intensive... Fresh Photos and More.
Two-Minute Meditation: Move from Thought to Sensation
In a recent talk on Strategies for Changing Your Relationship with Anxiety, I shared a quick technique for moving from obsessing thinking to the here and now.
It only takes a few minutes and can be quite dramatic.
To listen, check this out: Itunes podcast: Listen Here Youtube: Watch here The technique:
1. Take in a long slow deep breath and for a moment, hold the breath. Exhale slowly.
2. Again, take a long slow deep breath and for a moment, hold the breath and exhale slowly.
3. Let your eyes open and take in the three distinct separate images. Notice the color, shape, quality of light and texture.
4. Close your eyes.
5. Open your attention to sounds. Notice three distinct separate sources of sound.
6. Turn your attention to feeling. Notice three distinct separate sources of sensation.
7. Notice what may have shifted in this exercise.
I find this practice to be deceptively simple. Consciously shifting awareness away from thought to direct experience can sometimes dramatically help you move out of strong, pervasive and challenging mental states.
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iTunes podcast here, online listening here, stitcher here, and Jonathan’s YouTube channel here.