Meditation

Concentration and "Transparancy"

Last night we did the basic qigong form, which can take anywhere from about 40 to 60 minutes. We did the longer version with Mingtong slowing things down with long pauses. The form is done standing.

After the form, we did standing meditation. Toes are pointed inward, knees bent, back of the neck lengthened and the hands form a 'basket,' placed over the navel.

Holding this posture can be quite challenging. The mind has to stay alert and focused. There's no room for wavering.

We held this posture for probably half an hour, maybe more.

Being rooted deeply in the body with concentration holding all the details of the posture along with the visualization of the chi can take the mind and consciousness all over the place. For me I noticed myself shifting from the details to wondering how long I could stay there to sensing deeper and deeper the instruction to 'merge the form and the formless.'

For me, this is the beauty of qigong training. While immersed in the physicality of the moment there is a constant opening to the space within and around me. The results are quite fantastic. Grounded and spacious. Present in flow.

Qigong and Healing

This post is an adventure in technology. I'm going to find out if I can post something on my blog from my iPad app. I am here at the Institute of Noetic Sciences near Petaluma, CA taking part in 11 days of a 30-day Qigong Healing Intensive with Master Mintong Gu and staff.

I am one of the very few participants not dealing with a physical healing crisis. The stories are touching, heart-wrenching and often inspiring. This place is the realm of miracles. A woman who 'cured' herself of Parkinsons. A woman with a rare medical condition that left her hand numb and like a claw now has full motion. One of our teachers was in bed for seven years and now looks vital and alive. The other teacher struggled with debilitating health issues for twenty years and now feels more vibrant and alive than ever. Their passion for this practice is palpable. The sense of hope and alive expectation among the participants touches my heart.

When we did our introductions I shared how much I felt self-conscious about being so healthy. I just had a physical and my markers are basically unchanged from my 20's. Whatever healthy side effects may come from participating in a 'healing intensive,' I'm here to explore these technologies and this relational field to wake up. I'm here to experience what is true and let go what is not.

This is an intense practice.

Qigong is different from Vipassana. Rather than allowing and investigating the phenomena of the moment, this technique uses a lot of visualization and directive energy. Rather than just 'feeling the space,' we are encouraged to consciously extend our energy and awareness beyond the horizon. We constantly feel both inside the body and at the same time extend awareness out into infinite space.

This 'in the body and in infinite space' awareness training has a powerful way of cultivating a sense of being both grounded and at the same time, quite light and spacious.

When we feel unpleasant sensation, the training has dynamic way of 'opening the frame.' When I feel my aching low back from the perspective of infinite space, it tends to shift with more ease. When I watch my mind judging how experiences are being led or wanting it different without his constant practice I can more easily let go back into the flow of things.

Perhaps the essence of this training is to learn how to shift from thinking into the immediate realm of sensing. Like all healing practices, it's all about entering the here and now through the body. The trick, again, in all healing practices, is to be intimately present in the body and aware of how everything changes, how we hold each moment with either a sense of grasping, aversion or balance.

The sun will be up soon and we'll be opening to the chi fields shortly. Another day of sensing, sounding, opening and, I'm happy to say, really good food.

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A New Wave of Meditation Mentors

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What teachers have inspired, touched and influenced your practice? When you stop and think about it, chances are there are those in your life who made a positive impression on you either through their knowledge, their dedication, their compassion or their capacity to be an empathic listener.

One of the reasons I stayed so immersed and associated in a spiritual community was because when I was down, there always seemed to be someone who would inspire me.  Hopefully, I might have returned the favor.

As my old guru used to say, “Company is stronger than will power.”  For that reason, we are revamping IMCW’s Mentoring Program.  Pretty soon, if you like, you’ll be able to sign up to meet periodically with a mentor to discuss your practice and how you are applying the principles of mindfulness in your life.

Last Sunday we had a retreat to gather as a community and look at how we can organize ourselves to be available to those interested in deepening their practice.

We’ll be launching later in the year after Tara completes her Introduction to Meditation Series.  Stay tuned.  If you are interested in being a mentor down the road, we’ll have more information on the IMCW website.

The Value of Retreating

We are just finishing up our week-long retreat here at Seven Oaks.  I've had the privilege of leading twice-daily movement sessions, giving an evening talk and doing many interviews.

Classic teachings suggest that if you are not living in a monastery and want to cultivate a living connection to spirit and the mystery of this life's journey, it is most helpful to have a daily practice of some kind - something that will connect you with what is most important in your life.

Beyond a daily practice, though, are times of retreat.  This week over fifty participants have stepped away from their routines and are here to engage in social silence and practices that cultivate a more intimate sense of presence.

When we pause with intent, a marvelous unraveling can happen.  Old, deep tensions begin to soften.  New possibilities can emerge.  As I've been sitting in interviews listening to the changes and transformations, I'm awed by not only the courage of the practitioners, but also by the fact that these practices work.

The practices you do on retreat are deceivingly simple - and not at all easy.When we seek to be present, whether through sitting meditation, walking meditation, meals in silence and time exploring in solitude, we are treated to an amazing display of all the ways the mind avoids being present.  All the flavors of aversion, clinging, worry, restlessness, numbness, doubt and fear come parading right out on center stage for our viewing pleasure.

What helps make it bearable is the fact that despite being in silence, you are not alone.  Collectively we open to what is present - the 10,000 joys and the 10,000 sorrows - and somehow, collectively, we find the capacity to make room for it all.

Our next retreat is over New Year's.  Do consider scheduling this into your life.  I think it's a worthwhile investment.

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Saturday, September 25th: Dynamic Vipassana Meditation

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Saturday, September 25th I'm leading a daylong that a fellow yogi and I call "Shake and Bake" Meditation. This technique was developed in 1970 by the teacher Osho as a way to make the subtler states of consciousness available to western practitioners.  It may seem a little weird, but it's very engaging. Tracking the progression laid out in Raja Yoga, we follow distinct phases from the gross to the subtle. The phases we'll follow in this version:

1.  Shake, sound, move and express.  A soundtrack will help you keep moving and 'shaking out' any tensions that come into your awareness.

2.  Free flow.  The soundtrack changes and with your eyes closed, you'll move into a period of letting your body spontaneously move with the music.

3.  Breath and sound.  You'll find a seated position and shift your attention to deep, full inhalations and while relaxing on the exhale, generating a particular sound.   You may find yourself moving into deeper concentration and absorption.

4.  Meditation.  Attuning to stillness and presence.

5.  Lying down body scan.  Deep, deep letting go.  Releasing all effort.

6.  More meditation.

7.  Journaling.  A meditative writing technique to record your impressions as they arise.

And that's just the morning.

The afternoon will be more traditional vipassana meditation with periods for movement and relaxation.  There will also be time for sharing, questions and discussion.

Most of the day, though, will be in silence.  If you are looking for a day dedicated to releasing tensions and attuning to what arises in the stillness, I think you'll find this to be a rich and full experience.

A video of me describing the day:

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Chances are quite high we'll have a waiting list for the retreat, as we did last time.  The following link will expedite your registration.

For more information and to register online.

Post NPR

I used to have a 'ten minute rule', which changed my life in a most positive way.  Whenever I had to be anywhere, I planned on being ten minutes early.   I found it quite calming. Since moving to the DC area. though, I've had to up that to a 'twenty-minute rule' to accommodate the gnarly traffic here.

I made sure to get in early for the recording at WAMU with Diane Rehm and guests.  Once I got parked and buzzed in and landed in the waiting room I was offered water or coffee.  Out of nervousness I agreed to the coffee.

I didn't count on it being so strong and while I wasn't quite hyperventilating before the red light came on, I felt 'rather jazzed'.

When the first question was directed to me I got to watch the effect of adrenalin moving through my body at the same time as I started making noises and moving my lips.  That was a rush.

Thankfully I settled down.

If you'd like to listen to the hour-long show or just catch the first few minutes of my rather flustered response,you can click here.

They had a flood of calls and emails, which felt quite gratifying.

Tuesday on the Diane Rehm Show

This Tuesday, June 22nd, I'll be on the Diane Rehm Show with Richie Davidson, PhD, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin and has overseen ground-breaking research in meditation and Josephine Briggs, MD, the director of the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The topic is "The Power of Meditation."

In 1973, a housewife named Diane Rehm arrived to volunteer on WAMU's The Home Show. Today, that one-time volunteer has a worldwide audience of more than 2.2 million listeners and hosts a show that is heard on more than 150 public radio stations nationwide, Sirius XM Satellite Radio, NPR World Wide, and Armed Forces Radio Network.
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Images from the Week

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Hang around long enough and something's gonna happen.  We were meditating in the early evening by the river and noticed a deer swimming across the Potomac.  It's a pretty grainy shot, but you can see the antlers off to the left.  It's not unusual to be kayaking in the Potomac and see deer hanging out on the islands.

And early, early in the morning, a Great Blue caught mid-launch.   This is a spontaneous reaction shot, but I really enjoy how the image captures the silhouette of the legs and feet - plus the framing, depth and mood.

I'm always on the lookout for the first signs of the next season.  No sign of fall yet, as the greens are still intense and vivid right now.

This week I did some video recording at the World Bank on instruction and training in mindfulness practices.  After we laid down the audio, some brave volunteers came in for some shooting for cutaway shots.  I appreciate the challenge of making a video series during which the viewer is instructed to close their eyes.

That's me in the foreground, comfortably nestled in Final Cut Pro while the director makes some adjustments on the set.

Yoga and Meditation

Time was when traditions were quite separate.  There was little cross-pollenation.  The American way of 'using what works' has changed all that. The traditions of yoga and meditation inform each other in powerful ways.  I meet many people who say, "I love yoga, but hate meditation," and vice versa.  I'm excited to see how movement and stillness practices influence each other and open up new worlds.

The Kripalu Center training we just completed honors how important it is to find balance between energy and awareness (sanskrit words, 'prana' and 'chitta.')  Sometimes we need to move energy.  Sometimes the most balancing thing is to focus and calm the mind, gathering your attention in one place.

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The Spring Retreat

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We are coming to a close of the Spring Meditation Retreat.

When you consider your options to step away from your busy life for a week of stripped down simplicity, do consider Club Meditation vs. Club Med.

All the basic are here:  great food, a wonderful environment, a spacious schedule and caring support for your practice. While we are all refraining from speaking, practitioners have an interview with a teacher every other day and in the silence, the support from those around you is palpable.   There is definitely a feeling that we’re in this together.

I’ve often imagined I’d feel lonely on a retreat, but it’s quite the opposite. There is a collective sharing of the ‘good’ days and ‘bad’ days, the ‘good’ sits and ‘bad’ sits.  We each have periods where we feel tight and constricted other times when we feel spacious and gracious.

After awhile the labels of good and bad drop away and I simply feel how everything changes.  The low morning light turns bright and blazing.  Bird song is busy in the morning, goes into a mid-day lull and picks up at night.  The moon is in a slightly different place each night.

James Taylor said, “The secret of life is enjoying the passing of time.”  Taking it one step further, maybe it’s just being the passing of time.

Mindfulness and Trauma

I had a wonderful opportunity to present a daylong seminar at Marymount University this last Friday on "Focusing and Mindfulness to Treat Trauma and PTSD." We had a wonderful collection of graduate students, clinicians and hard core meditators in attendance. I was excited and a bit enthralled to be able to speak to this convergence of mind/body and contemplative traditions to treat serious trauma.  As we look at practical, effective ways to deal with such emotional and psychic suffering, the perennial teachings are emerging as guides.

My entrée into the day was telling the story of my dad, who shipped off to WWII at age 18.  By the time he got back, waiting for his 21st birthday, he'd been wounded twice, was MIA, was twice awarded medals for 'most days of sustained combat without reinforcement.'  He spent two and a half years in Northern Europe sleeping outside - the only time he had a roof over his head was when he was in the hospital and one night in barn somewhere in Southern France when he got separated from his unit.

I found out from my aunt last year that he woke up the household screaming in bed most nights on his return.  He never spoke about his experience until many, many year later when it started to spill out.  Horrendous stories of finding his friends dead in courtyards; leaving his foxhole to get an infected thumb checked out only to find they'd taken a direct hit; being told to 'clear out a village' with two other GI's and coming back as the sole survivor; his boat, crossing the Rhine at 2:00AM on the invasion of Germany taking a direct hit and him being pulled out of the water unconscious, his arm dislocated.

We've all taken hits.  No matter the degree of the intensity of our suffering, the way through seems to be our capacity to name what is there ... and to find a way to be with it.

Suffering also wakes us up.

My father went on to tap into the GI bill and became a college professor.  He became a Quaker, developed a course still offered called the "Literature of Peace." He was a draft counselor during the Vietnam War and is an active, committed pacifist, though he still gets incredibly pissed when anyone says 'some wars are good wars.'

84 and Thriving
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I'm Baaaaaack!

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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.