Category Archives: practice
embodied practice: caring for ourselves + others
As sanghas around the globe are breathing deeply for our beloved Thây who is recovering from his recent hospitalization, I am remembering this beautiful practice that he teaches, which my dharma sister has shared with our community over the years: Second Body Practice.
“Our practice is not an individual practice.
We practice with other people, we practice with our Sangha.
The Sangha is also our body…
The practice of the second body is one way we take care of each other in the Sangha.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
View/Download Thich Nhat Hanh’s article in The Mindfulness Bell Issue #24: Taking Care of Each Other.
[18 March 2020 | Content updated to include quote + link to the .pdf of the original article.]
#IVoted #ForAFutureToBePossible
[Project 60/50] Toward Wholeness: Race, Faith + Gender Matters in Mental Health
embodied practice: delighting in breath (cooling + calming)
I have found Kaki (Beak) breathing technique to be one of the simplest to teach, learn, and, most important, to make a regular part of my practice. I use it to cool down my body when I’m running or practicing an energizing yoga sequence, to quiet and center my mind while meditating or when a task that requires my full attention, and to feel relaxed whenever I am feeling stressed.
You may practice this anywhere, at any time—sitting, standing, lying down or walking. With eyes opened or closed (as long as you’re not moving, that is!)
Begin by observing your natural breathing cycle for several moments. Use each exhale to relax your muscles and to feel connected to the earth. Use every inhale to create space in your body and to maintain a lengthened spine.
Relax your tongue and gently bring your lips together to form an “O” as if sipping through straw. Allow your tongue to rest in your lower palate (perhaps touching the tip against the bottom teeth). Be sure to keep the lips softened—when pinched too tightly, you may feel deep creases in your lips and tension around your mouth and jaw.
Slowly inhale through your mouth. Feel the cool air flowing across your tongue. You may notice a sipping sound with the incoming breath, but don’t force it.
Close your mouth. Pause briefly to retain your breath for a beat or two.
Feel the fullness of breath in your body. CAUTION: Only hold your breath for as long as it is comfortable—you should never feel any strain, dizziness or light-headedness.
When you are ready to exhale, slowly breathe out through your nose. Feel the sense of relief in your body as it relaxes and becomes steady with this release of breath. [Allow your mouth to slowly stretch into a gentle smile, as my lil guru does above!]
Continue this breathing pattern for 5 – 10 repetitions. Inhale through your mouth with softly pursed lips; exhale through your nose with your mouth closed and relaxed. Invite the cooling sensation to spread from your tongue to the rest of your body. Allow a sense of calm and ease to prevail. As you cycle slowly and steadily through this breathing pattern, notice your mind beginning to soften, sort, and settle into a steady rhythm of awareness.
Return to your natural breathing rhythm. Spend a few moments noticing thoughts, feelings and sensations without judgment. Delight in this quiet state of being—feeling cool, calm, and centered in body, breath and mind.
#ForAFutureToBePossible: Voter Lookup
Here I borrow the title of Thich Nhat Hanh’s book as a reminder of the power of each vote holds and its impact–near, far, and wide into the future.
As we arrive at the voting booth tomorrow, may we all pause to reflect on the history we have inherited from past political actions (invested as they are with our personal ethics, religious influences, biases and prejudices) and the subsequent legacy we are co-creating with every present/future decision.
May we think not simply of ourselves, but of all others who may be harmed or helped by our voting power.
#magic + #mindfulness + #movement: the best medicine
The moment when I realized that the “ICKs” I’m feeling are not from sleeping too little but rather from MOVING too little! #SelfCareSunday #OnMyWayOut #TouchingTheEarth
embodied wisdom: on self-acceptance
~ from Mentoring: The Tao of Giving and Receiving Wisdom
by C.A. Huang + J. Lynch
In Body Awareness Bootcamp, practitioners are invited to “go deep to come home” and awaken clear comprehension and compassionate action (small steps, sustainable choices). Home, to the center of the self: the heart, where the seeds of self-compassion, self-acceptance, and inner wisdom are bathed in breath and awareness. The invisible thread of breath connects body, heart and mind. As breath blossoms in the body, with our skillful effort, the heart and mind becomes synced with the steady and subtle song of breath. Space is created for all to unravel and unfold into its full expression. Toxins and tensions are freed and released. We feel rooted, connected and resilient enough to embrace our whole selves. We gently shine the light upon the neglected parts, remembering all that makes us complete. Nothing is left out of our loving awareness. Now we freely bloom.
#TheSuchnessofSangha: on “sitting together” ~ thich nhat hanh
Sitting alone is wonderful. Sitting with a friend makes meditation easier.
There is a Vietnamese saying that goes like this: “When you eat rice, you need to have soup.”
When you practice mindfulness, you have to have friends.
When we sit together, we generate a collective energy of mindfulness that is very powerful…
The collective energy is very supportive and effective in helping us gain insight and transform difficulties.
As a practitioner we can benefit from that energy to help us embrace our pain and our suffering.
You can silently say, “Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Sangha, this is my suffering. Please brothers and sisters, please help me to embrace this pain and this suffering.”~Thich Nhat Hanh from “How to Sit”
big sky mind: a constellation of mindfulness
from the observer, seemingly versed in the nature of the cosmos:
looking down from on high, we were moving like a constellation.
indeed. the energy of mindfulness has gravity. compassion, a palpable magnetism.
the suchness of sangha generates an abiding + nourishing peace.
tscottmiller 