Hi, everybody. Good to wave. So we've been doing these meditations for a while. I was thinking maybe to do a little something different today and one of the things that I wanted to mention, I've been spending some time it's in connection with a group that meets every day doing compassion meditation for Ukraine. It opens up the world to not just what's happening in Ukraine but all of the chaos and difficulties and aggression that seems to be pervading the world knew you wonder, well, has it always been that way and we just know more about it because communications have amped up so much. But regardless, that that's what's going on and when we do the compassion practice. We want to keep expanding out further and not just think about the kind of traditional way of saying I would like to take away from them their suffering and extend to them happiness. So I think that an important part of the practice is to go deeper. And say, Well, you know, what we really want to take away is the cause. If you just take away the symptoms, the causes just perpetuate them. It's like a weed that you just cut off the leaves but the roots still there, the leaves just grow back. So the idea is to not only aspire and have the wish that people be free of their pain, their struggle, their anxiety, all of the symptoms, all of the expressions of suffering, but beyond that, that they be free of the roots of the causes of suffering which are the afflictive what are called the afflictive emotions, the the expressions of aversion, which are fear and hatred and anger, the expressions of attachment or or grasping, which our desire and greed and hunger, but not you know, like not ordinary hunger but just insatiable hunger and the end and then the third is ignorance, the confusion, the misunderstandings, the not wanting to know or not being willing to see another person's point of view. So, all of those are the roots the causes, of, of all the suffering and and what are the causes of happiness the causes of happiness or acceptance and forgiveness. Carrying kindness, love and the opposite of ignorance which is wisdom. The opposite of anger hatred, which is patience and acceptance and the opposite of grasping, which is contentment not needing anything. They said, There's a story of these two beggars who were who were talking about what they like and you know what they were wishing for. And one said I wish I had a house and I wasn't, you know, homeless. The other one said, Well, we're gonna wish Why don't we go big? I, you know, I wish I I was the, you know, had the biggest house in the village in the whole town. Now, I said, Well, we're gonna wish big you know, I wish I was the richest person in the country. And the other one said, Well, if we're gonna go really big, I wish I was Milarepa. And then I said, why that? He said, Oh, he's the richest person in the world because he has no needs. And it's something that we've talked about before, but if you look at your experience, I'm going to I'm going to switch gears a little bit. So when when we talk about so that's, that's the the opposite of the grasping and the poverty mentality. So that's what I'd like to work on with the compassion practice. As far as working with our attitude to everyday life. Something that's been coming up recently and a lot of the coaching that I've been doing, has to do with distinguished distinguishing between wants and needs. And you can feel it in your own being, if you just take a moment, and everybody's muted, so you can actually say it out loud. And you can say, think of something that you want and you say, you know I want to have that. And there's a there's desire, there's an impulse there. But then when you say I need to have that, a whole level of tension, a whole nother level of tension and anxiety come in. Because we were moving towards survival mentality and that's when the afflictive emotions get really, really powerful when it moves towards survival mentality that's when the anger and hatred and fear get really intense. When the grasping and the greed and the lust for power get really intense, when the ignoring and the shutting down and the closed mindedness get really intense. When we feel like if I don't do that, I'm I'm gonna cease to exist. When it's survival, that's when it really kicks in. And then it's really it's them or me in any kind of situation. It's them or me. So being aware of that and being aware of how we enter into situations throughout our life, everyday life am I going into it with a wanting and positive intention? Or am I going in with need and I need things to come out the way I want, or I won't. I can't exist. It's an interesting thing. To explore as far as your everyday just go through the day and just notice the difference. Notice the difference in your feeling tone, when that's happening as well. And you may notice it as as we're doing the practice if thoughts come up, that are tied to feelings and emotions and the what they do to your body when those things come up. So we can explore that a bit.
If we have time at the end, I'd like to go through the regular practice that we do of grounding and settling the mind then opening up to the environment and then take that further into compassion practice. But at the end, we can talk about different practices that we might use in everyday life in situations that we want to. We want to
go through a skillful way of working with the situation of it might be pacifying the situation. It might be adding something to it that will help the situation. It might be drawing it in a particular direction, different than the direction it's going and it might just be cutting the energy
in whatever way we can do that without it being based on needing it to come out a particular way. Okay, so that wraps that up. And let's, let's get into the practice. And posture is important. It aligns our energy. So take your good posture, I'll just go through the basics. Like we usually do. And can you hear this Gong Okay. Here we go. Good posture. Feel your sit bones, not leaning one way or the other not heavier into one side or the other. Not tilted forward or back. So feel like your back, straight up and that the back of your neck and your head extend straight up on the same line. It's not actually aligned. There's some curvature to our spine and feel like it's a continuation from our tailbone straight up to the back of the top of the head.
As for your legs, if you're in a chair, you can have your feet flat on the floor if you're on a cushion or if your legs are longer so long that their knees are higher than your hips. Gently cross your legs in front of you
you feel pulled in all the way under you and they're not extended straight out in front of you in the middle. Let your arms just hang down. Leave the elbows where they are. swivel your hands up palm down on each respective thigh. This way with your four with your upper arms perpendicular to the ground. You're not reaching forward and curling, you're not pulling back and tilting yourself
now this is an aspect of the practice that I think is really helpful. I'm going to tilt my camera so you can see a little below the middle of your sternum your breastbone.
There's a little tender spot it says if that's a tender heart is there. Just find that with your finger and then imagine and let your body move with your imagination. Have the intention that that's that point on your breastbone moves forward and up just a little bit diagonally. Just a little bit. Just a tiny part of an inch. When that happens, you'll feel when when that moves up. Your shoulders come back and down a little bit naturally. Shoulder blades come together. When this goes up a little bit your sit bones actually press firmer into the cushion. And if you keep your head the way it is when this comes up, your chin actually comes in a little bit. You feel your chest open up. breathing becomes easier so you have a firm a bright back. Open heart open chest
your lips are either slightly touching or very, very slightly parted and your jaw muscles are relaxed
they are under ready lay your eyes gently close
relax explored the feeling of all the parts of your body, your toes and your feet, ankles and calves and shins. And knees and thighs. Feel your legs how they attach into your hips. Your skeleton. pelvic area, lower back and deep belly. Feel your torso feel the depth front to back. Sometimes we act like we're our mirror image, two dimensional, or three dimensional there's a depth front to back is volume to your torso. It expands as the breath comes in contracts as the breath goes out. That's the volume your shoulders and your arms. wrists, hands and fingers
your arms connect to your torso, your shoulders, hips, legs at your hips. With your good posture. Your shoulders neck and head are aligned
and balanced on your neck and with your sternum your breastbone. Slowly up and forward. An open hearted open chest. That firm back and open heart is actually a posture of dignity. Like a king or queen sitting on a throne
dignified head and shoulders that come from your open heart
come back down and explore your body and just any area that you find tension. Just let your awareness rest there for a moment. And as best you can let that tension soften and melt you can't force it out. Just know that has the intention that becoming aware of it. You let it melt let it soften your jaw your neck and shoulders. Let them hang hang from the tentpole of your spine. Let everything just hang like Canvas that hasn't been pulled out. Into a tent
the belly and pelvic region but it's often unclench. thighs and legs. arms, wrists and hands
there's already a quality of relaxation when you let that tension melt. Let your awareness drop down out of your head down deep into your torso resting in your core. That center of energy a few inches below your navel just in front of your spine.
True awareness in your energy gather their.
Field your deep belly feel your lower torso expand as the breath comes in and fills you goes out as the breath empties.
Let your eyes gently open just a little bit no more than halfway looking down below, below your eyelids just a few feet in front of you. So you don't want to be looking into your device. Want to see the space they're sitting in? Just a couple of feet in front into the sides. Soften your gaze so that you're not looking at an object but just looking at the space that you're sitting in.
crashed your awareness deep in your core wherever that feeling of filling and emptying. Within the good posture that your body sitting in which is within the space that you're sitting in we'll do that for a couple of minutes.
If your mind wandered off into a daydream of the past or the future or elsewhere in the present. As soon as you realize that you've already woken up from the Daydream waking up from the Daydream you're already back in the here and now. Just smile you think that was often thoughts now I'm back. You can just use a code word for that just thinking or thought. Just mentally say that word. Just code for I was off in a daydream now I'm back and return to the technique. feeling the sensation of filling and emptying was in your posture within the Space
refresh. Your postures you need to
know raise your gaze. Take your good posture and in that posture. New open your eyes is a natural direction that you're looking at. It's slightly downward, it's not straight out and it's not really close down to sort of in between soften your gaze open up to your peripheral vision above and below to each side. Open up all your sense perceptions to everything going on in the space that you're in. We talked about the internal experience of the breathing. Now we focus mainly on the external the breath going out. As the breath goes out. It mixes with the air in the room until they become one.
As the breath goes out, let your awareness open up and mix with the space. So they become one it helps to have that soft, open gaze. The body breathes in by itself. It's included in what you're aware of. But the main practice is going out with the breath opening to the space, mixing mind and space and rest resting in that spaciousness as the body breathes in by itself. Out open, rest and spaciousness. Out open, rest and spaciousness. We'll do that for a couple of minutes.
Young fed. Raise your gaze out to the horizon softened and open. You see the Earth she the sky if you're inside a room, just imagine that. Now as the breath goes out, imagine that your awareness extends out with it. Beyond the room you're in beyond the space you're in. Out to the horizon. Breathe out extend your awareness to the sky. Making that your awareness extends out to the sky in all directions. Aware of all the beings in the world connected with all the beings in the world. Imagine your awareness extends out beyond the sky. Limitless infinite openness to whatever experience arises
and there's no boundary there is no center. So you become simply awareness itself.
Their posture of firm back and open heart measuring that your heart opens even further. Not physically but the tender heart of compassion. Open to embracing all beings.
Begin with someone very close to a loved one is going through some kind of illness or mental suffering physical illness or mental suffering. Imagine that as you breathe in, you're able to draw that from them and draw the causes of their suffering from them. into your open heart of compassion. That transform transformative space. The heart of compassion is a transformative space. Breathe in it transforms into a positive energy of healing, of caring of kindness. Breathe out and extended energy out from your heart fill their being with health. peace and contentment breathing the suffering and causes of suffering really to them. Happiness and the causes of happiness peace health and contentment.
As best you can expand that to everyone you care about.
Can't hold all the specifics in your mind as the general quality of suffering and struggle radiate out peace health and contentment.
Breathe in their fear breathe out courage and confidence.
expand to more and more anyone you've ever met. And notice if someone that you have animosity toward arises in your mind Be aware of your negative feelings as well as theirs.
Take into your heart your own struggle. Your own anger, fear. Grasping ignorance
radiate out patience and forgiveness to yourself and the other
the contentment to yourself and the other radiate out understanding to yourself and the other. Breathe in the negativity. It transforms and radiate out the positive qualities of forgiveness acceptance patients.
In his is best you can extend that out to all beings. All creatures great and small. Taking all the fear ignorance, grasping and hatred in the world. Read it out the opposite patience and acceptance, wisdom and understanding kindness and love
lower your gaze
just the space that you're sitting in, connect with your posture connect with the feeling of the breath in your body.
Include we can make our practice more powerful if we include others in our thoughts of the benefit of it. So it's traditional and unhelpful to say either repeat after me or in your own words. May the practice I've just done be of benefit to others even more so than myself
when we put others before ourselves, everything becomes much more workable. more beneficial all the way around. So thank you for your practice. And if there are any comments or questions you're welcome to unmute yourself. I think you're able to do that Alyssa if you can go.
Sandra,
yes, that raising the bar is very subtle, but I found it to be very helpful in terms of improving my posture of chest and just a very nice adjustment. Thank you very much for that.
Thank you for bringing that up and saying it. I think it's really cool. Not all but just so much. Had a lot of good feedback from that. I was going to say, and thank you for bringing that up because that's one of the things I was going to suggest as you go through your day. Check on that every now and again. As you're walking or you're walking downtrodden or you're walking Oh wow. It literally lifts you up and and metaphor lifts you up. And you see you're open to more things so good. I'm glad you had a good experience with that. Yeah, and
also your comment about sitting with dignity like a king or a queen on a throne. And that's the first time I felt like as if I were a queen on a throne. Yeah,
it does make it it's good makes a difference. That's a traditional Shambala metaphor
that's great. Um, thank you for bringing that up. It is something to be aware of be aware of our posture as we're walking through life because when we're when we're sitting and when you're on a computer, oh, it's so easy to be reaching forward and your shoulders but so this is a great practice just to sit and take a timeout. No. Take a timeout and do that. Another thing and Jerry, I'll call you in a second. Another thing that I wanted to offer is a practice that you can do as kind of mindfulness on the go and take a break from your computer, you know when you're using your hands in front of you, and instead use your hands this way. We move this out. I'll show you. You hold your hand in front of you like this. And you point your index finger of your other hand straight away from you and put the first knuckle against your wrist. And as you breathe in an ordinary pace, run your finger up the outside of your little finger and you just keep your your index finger pointing away from you. And then slowly as you exhale go down inside inhale up. slowly exhale down. Inhale up. slowly exhale down. Inhale up. slowly exhale down. Inhale up your thumb is slowly exhale down to your wrist in reverse. Inhale up, slowly down the thumb. Inhale up your index finger slowly down
slowly. inhale and slowly you inhale slows you down
that's a great timeout. It's also great if you're waiting again in an office for an appointment or something like that. Just do your and mindfulness and you're welcome to comment on that as well. Jerry. You're muted. That I have a question for your jury. Sure. Was there a particular point in that process where you dropped into a little bit deeper relaxation? Did you notice?
Well, kind of you know, I started taking yoga back in my early 20s You know, but I was much more supple and athletic back then.
We don't have to go all the way back. I just wanted to go back. Yeah.
Breathing was an important part of it. Which I didn't appreciate. You know, and I'm beginning to see more and more and it's appearing in the scientific literature now. That breathing you know it activates the vagus nerve which produces the relaxation response. And, you know, there's more I'm sure you know, the pranayama is and all that stuff, how the importance of breathing. Well, one of the problems I've had is I've had multiple surgeries like on my back and my lower extremities and I find it very difficult, you know, that was born with curvature of the spine and other abnormalities. I find it very difficult to sit up, you know, straight without my back against the chair. And, you know, sometimes it's really Australian but I try and do it. And is it okay to you know, lean back against the chair.
I was gonna say please lean back. No problem. Lean back against the chair, but then do that little bit opening
okay. Yeah. Because, you know, I mean, you can even see it on the screen, you know, one, one shoulders higher than the other. And that's because of, I've had curvature in the spine of the upper and lower spine and surgery. And, you know, when I try and sit up straight, it's really kind of the strain. And
it's is not not to punish yourself if this isn't punishment. Sit up as straight as you can without it being a strain. Open up your heart as much as you can this. If you leaned against back, don't raise your chin. Go ahead and lean against the back. Then feel that this goes up. The chin stays down. But the chest goes up. And again, it can be microscopic, just it's just an expression of openness. And Don't strain yourself. Don't hurt yourself. Absolutely. Absolutely. And what I was asking was, you know, a lot of people as they do this, it's on the way back that there's a kind of on the way back, you're dropping down into a little more relaxation. And what this practice this hand practice does, it engages both hands. It engages your sense perceptions of the feeling in between your fingers, which are very sensitive, and the feeling of moving your hand and your eyes, watching it happening and your breathing. And there's not much room for a lot of busy thoughts. So it's good way to drop down and be quiet. With that.
Okay, thank you.
You're welcome. And Linda had a nice comment. I'm going to read it in case you don't have the chat. The subtle movement of bringing the small open center at the heart up and forward immediately comes my mind. As soon as I do this movement. It feels as though my heart connects with my brain. Fabulous Trungpa Rinpoche who, my close teacher who sadly passed away not long ago, wrote recently you know, in one of his his books about that taking the posture and it's very traditional taking the posture, aligns your energy and stabilizes your mind. So, I've had that experience as well, that subtle movement. So I'm glad that you connected with that, Linda, thank you well, we're at the top of the hour. We call that so if you need to go. Thank you so much for coming. I am happy to stay on for a couple of more minutes. We call it extra time or overtime. If you have more questions or comments, I welcome them. If you have to go we'll see you. I'm not sure when I'm on here next. Alyssa can. She's going to be sending out the word for the nightclub and my next morning practice is going to be July 6 More morning my time morning 9am Pacific do we know when I'm next, Elissa?
I'm checking right now.
Can't remember. But whenever it is it'll be a Monday night and we'll see you any other comments or questions?
It'll be July 10
There you go.
Jerry
you muted Jerry
I've never attended your sessions you know that you say you have out
Monday? 9am Pacific 10am Mountain.
Okay. You read it every day or you know,
every other Thursday. So the next one What did we say is July 6. Okay. All right. Thank you. So I want to share a story in for anybody who's left that I told this morning in the tongue one program the compassion for Ukraine program and it's about working, working with others in relating with others and in our communication and people liked it. So I thought I'd share that as our into today. There was a there was a man who lived by a river and he had a little dock and a little rowboat that he liked to roll out to the middle of this river and anchor let the river flow by every evening in the early evening and enjoy the dusk in the sunset. Enjoy the birds and the sounds of the river and the smells of the flowers and one day he was out there and he noticed up river coming around the bend was a little bit bigger boat like this cabin cruiser kind of kind of boats. And his first thought was oh it's so nice. The Oh Hamish is in is in India Oh, that's great. You're welcome. The the this bigger boat was coming down the river and his first thought was, isn't it nice that there's somebody else out here enjoying the river enjoying this beautiful evening in this beautiful river. And he looked up again a few a little bit later and a few minutes later and he said that the boat was coming right down the center of the river right towards him. And he said Well, surely they'll see me and steer to one side or the other. But he kept his eye on it and kept coming closer. Now he started getting lubricated and he said why? What are they doing? I was here first I shouldn't have to move. They should move and go around to one side or the other. And then he got more irritated. He stood up in his boat and he started waving and saying go go go over to the side. Go to that side or go to that side. What are you doing? I was here first I'm not moving you move go go until crash. The bigger boat crashed into his little rowboat. And as He hung in the water from one of the pieces of his broken boat, he looked up and he saw that it was an empty book. And we should be aware of that as far as people being in control of their emotions as they go through life. Most and we happen to be in the way but understand that we can take a little sidestep because there's nobody at the router. So I thought I'd share that with you something to keep in mind as you go through the day and and we talked a little bit about this last time when you're going through a particularly hard time. The most beneficial thing that you can do is think how many other people in the world are feeling exactly this way, either physically or mentally. Whatever struggle you're having. And think wow I wish that all of their suffering could be healed and by thinking of them, and thinking of yourself less, yours will abate as well. So that's another good practice that you can do. So thank you so much. Appreciate you all so much. And we'll see you July 10. recording stopped. Thank you Good morning. Good morning. Good morning to Hamish.