Speaking of the body scan - I had one of these join me for mine yesterday! Was crawling on my hand while I was working on the right leg - no idea how it got inside the house. I did pause the recording to take it outside and release it. Not one of the usual sensations I experience :-)
Egads! What a lucky bug to land on such a peaceful presence and be
rescuedā¦
Jenifer
2 Likes
Hi David,
Nice to here that your still working at finding out what works for you. I have too been meditating about 25 minutes every morning, and yes, the body scan is still a struggle for me. I have found a meditation site on line set up by Tara Brach. I really like her methods. She starts off her meditations with the body scan, starting from the head and working down to the feet, just like you mentioned, and I like it. I find her easy to listen to and her meditations are very healing.
Good luck and keep in touch.
Amanda
1 Like
Just wanted to share a very cool experience I just learned about breathing during a Tara Brach meditation. She talks about feeling the body ā limbs, muscles, torso ā from the inside, and I found that it actually helped to focus on my breathing by feeling throughout the body. It was like my entire skin sucked in the air on an in-breath, letting the air penetrate all the way to my bone, and then releasing out to through the skin on the out-breath. I found it was this very powerful way of being present from the very start to the very end of the meditation.
As for practice, how has everyone been switching off from one day to the next? Have you been cycling through Yoga and Walking Meditation and Sitting Meditations? Iām finding all kinds of excuses not to do one Yoga practice, and keep ending up back at the sitting meditations every day.
Hope everyone is doing well in their practice!!
David
1 Like
Hi David and thank you for another helpful meditation sharing. Which Tara
Brach meditation in particular was that?
I definitely find myself preferring sitting meditations, which sometimes I
do lying down. I have done some yoga but mostly sitting. Today I did both -
but it was an unusual day for me scheduling-wise to be able to do so.
Hey - I discovered a fabulous app: Equanimity - it lets me record my
practice and thereās a place for a journal entry. If Iām not doing a silent
meditation on my own, I just simply enter the time of the guided
meditation. Have that meditation ready to play, and then start the
Equanimity logging of the practice. It has been really helpful for keeping
me consistently meditating and noticing if there is a day I miss so that I
can note that, be aware of it etc. I think there was a small fee for the
app but itās really wonderful to have an easy way to record the regularity
and nature of my practice - and not on a piece of paper or other log, which
rapidly gets messy or is incomplete.
More later and thank you for keeping this communication going, David!
Jenifer
1 Like
Hi Jenifer,
Hereās a link to the particular meditation I listened to:
https://www.tarabrach.com/guided-meditation-befriending-and-opening-to-life/
Iāve been using an app similar to what you are talking aboutā¦its called Insight Timer. Thatās where I ended up
finding this particular meditation. I like it because it has both the general timer function, and also offers a whole
mess of guided meditations that you can sort by length. Iāve been aiming for 25 minute meditations, just because I found it was long enough to explore a lot of different sensations and experiences.
Thanks Jenifer for staying on top of the forum!
1 Like
Hey David. I use insight timer too - love that app - but didnāt see a way
to log my meditations outside of those listened to within the insight timer
environment. Is there a way to do that?
Thank you for the link - tomorrow!!
Jenifer
1 Like
Hi All,
Iāve been doing mostly body scan combined with breathing, leading it myself. I find that this helps to focus my attention (and keep me awake!) I use the Insight Timer and Enso apps as well. I like the Enso because it allows for bells at fixed intervals during the practice, which I can use to be aware of how much time has elapsed and not have to check the clock to know how much I have left. Great to hear others are keeping up with the practices!
Hi Everyone! This is a new thing for me since I really have never joined a community like this. Shows how important this practice is for me! I think often of our class - thanks Jenifer for starting this up. I have also really liked the insight app and have been playing around with it.
Honestly I tend to do shorter meditations but they are doable for me and I feel they benefit me through the day. I also continue to be as mindful through out the day as possible- love the walking mindful technique.
Take care ~ Marcela
2 Likes
Welcome Marcela and so good to hear your voice!!
Jenifer
I wanted to share this- a short video series of meditation tips by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of The Center for Mindfulness. Jon shares with us what he calls the 9 attitudes that create a strong foundation for mindfulness practice. I have only watched the first 2 but plan on viewing the rest.
Let me know what you thinkā¦
https://themindfulnesssummit.com/sessions/9-powerful-meditation-tips-jon-kabat-zinn/
Hi Marcela. I also discovered these videoclips and I really find them
helpful and so compelling to listen to him explain these foundational
attitudes.
Iām so glad you are sharing them in our living room, a perfect contribution
to our ongoing learning together.
Iām working hard to practice loving kindness in the angry societal
atmosphere were are living in. Itās hard.
Jenifer
1 Like
Oh, these friendly, informative videos from the beloved founding teacher of MBSR, Jon Kabat-Zinn. A great share, thank you!
Hi everyone. Just saying hello and wondering how things are going for everybody? Iām looking ahead to two sets of extended family vacations coming up and getting actually excited about meditating in different (and beautiful) settings. I cannot wait to meditate at sunrise on a beach, focusing my attention on the sound of the ocean waves and the silence between the wavesā¦and all the other sounds that come into my natural awareness.
Anyway, I hope everyoneās summer has included some R&R and time outside. Missing our groupā¦
Best,
Jenifer
Hope your vaca went well and you got to enjoy your beach meditation. I find water and water sounds very soothing.
Thatās one reason I like the Insight timer app. There are some really nice guided meditations- I use a couple with relaxing sounds. There is one called Heat Therapy and it is sounds of a crackling fire and crickets. Itās like a beautiful fall/summer night outside.
Ahh fall will be here before you know it.
Take care,
Marcela
Hi everyone. Iām wondering how everyone is and hoping all are doing well. It seems like such a long time ago, now, our course at the CFM. My practice continues, feeling like I can slip into breath awareness, sound awareness, self-compassion readily. Fitting 45 minute meditations has become really challenging of late, with the school year setting in.
Whatās happening for you in your practice, with your practice?
Still missing the feeling of being together while meditating and hoping to make it to a Monday evening sit-in.
Wishing everyone ease and spaciousness in your day,
Jenifer