This page contains the meditation practices and 2 summaries of discussion from the study day held at the Palace Hotel on Friday the 25th October. The day started with 3 basic mindfulness practices to illustrate the need for discipline and diligence in our mindfulness practice. In other words mindfulness is not complicated or particularly time consuming and the basic practices are straightforward – all we have to do is find time to do them on a regular basis. The difficulties of fitting our practice into the generally very busy lives that we lead these days were discussed and solutions proposed based on the use of the 3 practices of the body scan, sitting practice and mindful movement.
The day then progressed with discussions and meditations on generosity and patience and the point was made that when we practice generosity we are confronted with our own meanness and when we practice patience we are confronted with our own impatience. Ways of dealing with these were discussed and a technique described in the meditation on patience.
Finally we dealt with the simple joy of being alive and practised a breathing meditation as described by Thich Nhat Hahn, a meditation on self-forgiveness based on the work of Stephen Levine and a self-compassion practice.
Practice 1 – Discipline – basic body scan – a 23minute body scan – filling the body with awareness.
Practice 2 – Discipline – basic sitting practice – the mind scan – a 20minute meditation looking at the mind.
Practice 3 – Discipline – easy mindful movement – 11minutes.
Summary of discussion (6minutes) about the discipline of practice, the difficulties that arise, resistance and how to fit regular practice into our lives.
Practice 4 – Generosity – how it feels to be involved in an act of generosity, how it opens our minds, makes connections with other people and reduces the feeling of separation (25minutes).
Practice 5 – Patience – the practice of allowing things to be – 20minutes of opening to whatever is present using the in breath and releasing on the out breath (a modification of the technique of taking and sending sometimes called tonglen).
Summary of discussion (4minutes) – describing the difficulties inherent in developing qualities of generosity and patience and how to cope with the realisation of our meanness and impatience without suppressing them. In general terms how we can learn to be with things as they are and allow everything to change all by itself.
Practice 6 – The joy of being alive – a 25minute meditation inspired by Thich Nhat Hahn’s meditation practices involving being with the breath and rejoicing in life.
Practice 7 – Self-forgiveness – a 20minute meditation based on the work of Stephen Levine – opening the heart to ourselves and others and learning how to forgive.
Practice 8 – Self-compassion – a 23minute meditation practice on the subject of being human and being kind to ourselves – give yourself a break!
What follows is a transcript of the Self-Compassion Break adapted from the work of Dr Kristin Neff.
Think of a situation in your life that is difficult and may be causing you stress. Call the situation to mind, and see if you can actually feel the stress and emotional discomfort in your body, saying to yourself –
1. This is a moment of suffering – in mindful awareness. You may also like to admit to yourself that: –
This hurts.
Ouch.
This is stress.
2. Suffering is a part of life – that’s common humanity. You may also like to say to yourself: –
Other people feel this way.
I’m not alone.
We all struggle in our lives.
Now put your hands over your heart, feel the warmth of your hands and the gentle touch of your hands on your chest. Or perhaps adopt any form of soothing touch that you have discovered feels right for you and say to yourself –
3. May I be kind to myself – you can also ask yourself, “What do I need to hear right now to express kindness to myself?” Maybe there’s a phrase that speaks to you in your particular situation, such as: –
May I give myself the compassion that I need
May I learn to accept myself as I am
May I forgive myself
May I be strong.
May I be patient
This practice can be used any time of day or night, and will help us remember to evoke the three aspects of self-compassion – awareness of suffering, acknowledgement that suffering is part of life and the need to be kind to ourselves – when we need it most.
