Meditation and Mindfulness

‘Tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’ Mary Oliver

Meditation, or mindfulness practice, is an age-old and powerful tool, practiced throughout the world, for taming the mind and accessing our authentic nature. Meditation can help bring clarity, contentment, and calm, as well as joy and aliveness to your being. Contrary to some thinking, the purpose of meditation is not to withdraw from the world or from life. Rather, the purpose of meditation is to engage with our life and embrace our world more fully.

For those interested, meditation instruction and mindfulness practice can be an occasional or an on-going part of our work together. Meditation can facilitate your becoming more deeply in touch with you body, your heart, and your mind. You may feel more intensely and experience the world more vividly. The world can become more colorful, interesting, provocative, and rich, affording plentiful opportunities as well as the courage to embark upon new growth, exploration, and adventure. Assumed limitations and preconceived notions of immovable obstacles fall away. Options are everywhere. Your view and perception of what is possible open wide.

Meditation and mindfulness practice are universal; these are not implicitly connected with any religion or spiritual path. Meditation/mindfulness practice is harmonious with all spiritual and religious systems. The style of mindfulness practice that I work with is not about intense concentration, attempting to achieve a hypnotic trance, or stopping one’s flow of thoughts. Rather it is about resting naturally in an open state, settling into oneself, and becoming better acquainted with the workings and play of your very own mind and heart.

Ultimately meditation/mindfulness practice is about wakefulness, fresh experience, and discovering unconditional friendliness toward yourself. You do not need to take acrobatic postures or retreat to a cave or isolated cabin in order to practice meditation. Brief periods of meditation in the midst of your busy life practiced with some regularity will inject a potent stream of awareness, presence, and openness into your life. Please let me know if you are interested in incorporating meditation and mindfulness practice into our work together.