These are my take aways from a talk by Dan Grossman.  He spent a year as a resident at MAPLE and he shared what he learned at the Sunday Sit in Burlington on Oct 12.

 

  1.    Sit with simple truth
  2.    Move in the moment of now
  3.    Take a break from worry or plans

Step 1 – They say truth is more interesting than fiction. A flock of starlings swoops in a flow of wings; a red maple leaf glistens raindrops against a grey sky; a blade of grass moves in the wind. These ordinary realities, which we don’t really know how they happen, are the most rewarding moments of life.

Step 2 – On Sunday night, I asked Bill, my husband, what his plans are for the week. “I haven’t even thought about it,” he said as he contentedly read his book while propped in bed. Take the moment of now – delight or challenge – over any mirage.

Step 3 – mop the floor when needed without wondering if you should be in a different house with a different floor. Just push the mop head back and forth and let spinning thoughts be in the background.

Try this guided meditation offered by Dan

Settle down and straighten up in your seat. Notice thought as it arises. Label it “thought” if you like. Let each thought, plan or fantasy be a like a stage play in your mind. Let it arise, bubble up, and watch the soap opera unfold on the TV without having power over you. Do this with your thoughts, feelings and plans for several minutes.

Next, feel the out breath fully and going out with it. Let it dissolve into the space around you, and allow there be a gap there, where attention is placed on nothing in particular. Let the in breath happen naturally (you don’t have to follow it in). When another out breath is ready, repeat the process. If thinking occurs, gently label it as “thinking”, and gently return to the out breath. In this way, cultivate a felt sense of spaciousness. Do this for several minutes.

Guided recording here

Sit with simple truth; move in the moment of now; take a break from worry or plans this week at Hot Yoga Burlington:  https://www.hotyogaburlingtonvt.com/print-schedule/