As part of an 8-week MBSR course you keep a pleasant events diary, recording the experience, feelings (emotional and bodily), mood and thoughts, and as this has been in mind this week it struck me how many pleasant events there are in a day. The purpose of it is to focus the mind towards positive thoughts, away from negative ones, concentrating as Thay says, on 'what's not wrong' instead of what is wrong.
In the MSR workbook there is a page to record one pleasant event per day, but that doesn't allow for all the experiences that actually take place, even the ones maybe judged as unpleasant initially! Yesterday I had a mock viva with my supervisors in preparation for the real thing next week, and whilst I was very nervous beforehand, once we got into it and I was answering their questions it became very enjoyable. It was a pleasure to talk about the research in detail and reiterate points that Thay makes, demonstrating how they are realistic, viable propositions for daily life and not just theory or idealistic notions that have no relevance to real life.
So my diary for yesterday looks something like this;
Seeing friends again for the first time this year
sharing lunch with another friend
talking about Thay and his teachings
feeling positive about the up-coming viva instead of terrified
attending a meeting about a retreat coming up in March
sitting with my Sangha in the evening
enjoying the drive home along a dark and empty country road
sitting by a log fire with my husband
And that's only a few points in the day, a vast day full of richness and meetings and pleasant events.
Let's notice these to increase the positive and decrease the negative!
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Sunday, 10 February 2013
The necessity of rain
All morning
I avoided going out into
the damp and rain-filled outside.
The fire was so appealing,
cosy and soothing.
Why venture out into
dank, soggy coldness?
I avoided it until I remembered
to regard the rain
as friend not enemy.
It only took moments
of being
in the rain-dampened woods
to appreciate
the necessity of rain.
The newly-ploughed field
ready to welcome its Spring crop
is a reminder
that nothing will grow
without the nourishing rain.
The greening buds
ready to open
are a reminder
that Spring cannot spring
without the necessity of rain.
And you and I
who chose the fire instead
of the rain
are also a reminder
to be grateful for
the friendly necessity of rain.
© 10 February 2013
I avoided going out into
the damp and rain-filled outside.
The fire was so appealing,
cosy and soothing.
Why venture out into
dank, soggy coldness?
I avoided it until I remembered
to regard the rain
as friend not enemy.
It only took moments
of being
in the rain-dampened woods
to appreciate
the necessity of rain.
The newly-ploughed field
ready to welcome its Spring crop
is a reminder
that nothing will grow
without the nourishing rain.
The greening buds
ready to open
are a reminder
that Spring cannot spring
without the necessity of rain.
And you and I
who chose the fire instead
of the rain
are also a reminder
to be grateful for
the friendly necessity of rain.
© 10 February 2013
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Snowdrops
Fragile, tender tendrils of green
peeping out of the earth.
Small, almost insignificant
bulbs of white
barely supported
by slender green stalks.
Yet these tiny white flowers
make a huge announcement,
a proclamation
that Spring is on its way.
The cycle of nature is turning,
the time of hibernation,
of huddling by a warm fire
reluctant to go out
will soon be over.
Delicate drops of white
scattered among decaying leaves
and brown earth,
defying frost and snow
and all the weight of weather
nature has to outpour,
herald a time
of warmth,
longer days,
sunshine.
And make my heart sing.
© 9 February 2013
peeping out of the earth.
Small, almost insignificant
bulbs of white
barely supported
by slender green stalks.
Yet these tiny white flowers
make a huge announcement,
a proclamation
that Spring is on its way.
The cycle of nature is turning,
the time of hibernation,
of huddling by a warm fire
reluctant to go out
will soon be over.
Delicate drops of white
scattered among decaying leaves
and brown earth,
defying frost and snow
and all the weight of weather
nature has to outpour,
herald a time
of warmth,
longer days,
sunshine.
And make my heart sing.
© 9 February 2013
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Oneness
The rain spatters hard against the windowpanes,
forced by a prevailing wind.
The fire gently crackles, announcing heat and light
as it greedily licks up the newly-cut logs.
These are the world of name and form,
the historical dimension.
Close the eyes, become stillness,
the ultimate dimension reveals itself.
A vast space in which One
is manifest and many disappear.
Interbeing is a word unnecessary here,
a mild description of what fills the heart
and is known and recognised
in a wordless space beyond mind.
Gone are the dualistic notions that bind us to the world.
Birth and death,
coming and going,
you and me,
are not needed here,
in this empty space full of Oneness.
Close the eyes, become stillness,
the ultimate dimension reveals itself.
forced by a prevailing wind.
The fire gently crackles, announcing heat and light
as it greedily licks up the newly-cut logs.
These are the world of name and form,
the historical dimension.
Close the eyes, become stillness,
the ultimate dimension reveals itself.
A vast space in which One
is manifest and many disappear.
Interbeing is a word unnecessary here,
a mild description of what fills the heart
and is known and recognised
in a wordless space beyond mind.
Gone are the dualistic notions that bind us to the world.
Birth and death,
coming and going,
you and me,
are not needed here,
in this empty space full of Oneness.
Close the eyes, become stillness,
the ultimate dimension reveals itself.
Reveals itself as
infinite,
boundless,
compassionate,
loving,
whole-hearted
and free.
© 27 January 2013
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Mindfulness retreats in the UK
I'm rather excited to be able to let you know about my latest venture, which is to offer mindfulness retreats as part of NCMC's programme of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
The following link will take you to the website page, which gives all the details of retreats that are available this year;
Please forward the link to anyone who you feel may be interested in such a retreat.
'Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us up to the fact that our lives unfold only in moments. If we are not fully present for many of those moments, we may not only miss what is most valuable in our lives but also fail to realize the richness and depth of our possibilities for growth and transformation' (Jon Kabat-Zinn).
These weekends give the participants a chance to explore what this can mean in one's day-to-day life. For most of the retreats it is assumed the participants will have either attended an eight-week MBSR or MBCT course, or have an established meditation practice, however, there is a weekend in September which is an introduction to mindfulness for those to whom it is a new concept.
I am not going to bombard you with advertising and booking is done through York MBSR.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Lauri
The Northern Centre for Mindfulness and Compassion
York MBSR
The mindful way to reducing stress
E: Relax@YorkMBSR.co.uk<mailto:R
W: www.YorkMBSR.co.uk<http://
T: 01904 634710
NCMC, Suite Z, Holgate Villa, 22 Holgate Road, York YO24 4AB
York MBSR
The mindful way to reducing stress
E: Relax@YorkMBSR.co.uk<mailto:R
W: www.YorkMBSR.co.uk<http://
T: 01904 634710
NCMC, Suite Z, Holgate Villa, 22 Holgate Road, York YO24 4AB
Friday, 4 January 2013
The unmoving quiet
What do you want from meditation?
Peace of mind.
I cannot give you peace of mind
you already have it.
But I don't feel peaceful.
I am agitated, restless, dissatisfied.
Peace does not come and go,
it is the foundation of everything you experience
even the restless, dissatisfied agitation.
It is the calm, unmoving base of the ocean
undisturbed by the waves rolling above.
It is the cool, pale blue sky
untouched by the thunder clouds that come and go.
It is the firm and unshakeable trunk of a tree
unmoved by the tumultuous shudders of a howling wind.
It is the empty and free space
that is unlocked from the centre of your heart when you fall quiet.
Agitation, restlessness and dissatisfaction come and go, they pass
and when they do, peace is left,
the unmoving quiet that accepts the disturbance
but does not embrace it as its own.
It is the essence of your being
resting in the centre of your heart.
When you welcome it as yours
it is unmovable, untouched and unshakeable.
© 4 January 2013
The unmoving quiet audio
Peace of mind.
I cannot give you peace of mind
you already have it.
But I don't feel peaceful.
I am agitated, restless, dissatisfied.
Peace does not come and go,
it is the foundation of everything you experience
even the restless, dissatisfied agitation.
It is the calm, unmoving base of the ocean
undisturbed by the waves rolling above.
It is the cool, pale blue sky
untouched by the thunder clouds that come and go.
It is the firm and unshakeable trunk of a tree
unmoved by the tumultuous shudders of a howling wind.
It is the empty and free space
that is unlocked from the centre of your heart when you fall quiet.
Agitation, restlessness and dissatisfaction come and go, they pass
and when they do, peace is left,
the unmoving quiet that accepts the disturbance
but does not embrace it as its own.
It is the essence of your being
resting in the centre of your heart.
When you welcome it as yours
it is unmovable, untouched and unshakeable.
The unmoving quiet audio
Thursday, 3 January 2013
New Year's Day Walk
Muddy boots,
bright sunshine,
empty trees,
nests revealed,
squirrels playing.
Sunlight brightening
bare fields.
Wind teasing,
nose running,
hair ruffled,
blowing aside
Christmas dullness.
Squelching through
slippery pathways,
searching for
solid ground.
Past fields,
through woods,
along paths,
up inclines.
Heart grateful
for all the above.
© 4 January 2013
bright sunshine,
empty trees,
nests revealed,
squirrels playing.
Sunlight brightening
bare fields.
Wind teasing,
nose running,
hair ruffled,
blowing aside
Christmas dullness.
Squelching through
slippery pathways,
searching for
solid ground.
Past fields,
through woods,
along paths,
up inclines.
Heart grateful
for all the above.
© 4 January 2013
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