Hello and welcome.
Thank you for caring for yourself and listening.
You may be asking,
Why meditate?
Before I offer the scientific data regarding the benefits of meditation,
Please use the following silence to stop,
Breathe,
And listen to your answer with an open heart.
What has brought you here to this moment when you are willing to befriend yourself in this way?
Listen carefully to your response.
Perhaps it is pain,
Or illness,
Or loss,
Or ordinary everyday stress.
Perhaps a doctor or a friend or the person who cuts your hair recommended it.
And something in you said,
Okay,
I'll try it.
Perhaps it is curiosity or something palpable,
Yet difficult to name.
Whatever it may be,
Sit with it for a moment.
Breathe and allow the physical sensations,
Thoughts,
And emotions that accompany this inquiry to move through you.
Let the tender truth of your answer sustain you.
Maybe the mind would like some additional information,
Some reasons to meditate.
So let's briefly review the benefits of mindfulness meditation.
Many scientific studies have shown that practicing mindfulness meditation greatly decreases pain,
Anxiety,
Depression,
And anger.
Mindfulness practice also significantly decreases physical symptoms and medication usage.
Most importantly,
Those who practice mindfulness report that their experience is more fulfilling and peaceful,
Regardless of their circumstances.
Why mindfulness,
Or more accurately,
Heartfulness?
Mindfulness is simple.
Bring your attention into the present moment.
Mindfulness is profound.
The present moment is where our lives unfold,
Where our tenderness and strength reside,
And where choice is possible.
Mindfulness is portable.
It moves into our lives and into the world.
It can inform our interactions at home,
On the freeway,
In the supermarket,
And at work.
And mindfulness is kind.
It asks that we cultivate compassion for ourselves and others as we bumble along doing the best we can.
How does one begin?
The simplest experiment is to do a different session each day for a week.
A more complete experiment is to devote a week to each of the six longer sessions.
Ultimately,
You will want to choose the sessions which serve you best.
As you begin your experiments,
Bring kind attention to how you choose to keep your commitment or not.
Be compassionate as you investigate your engagement in the process.
Become aware,
Without judging,
Of what you tell yourself.
I'm too busy.
I'm too tired.
Someone or something else is more important.
Can you commit without shoulds and guilt?
Can you simply observe as the process unfolds,
Noting the quality of your experience on the days you choose to do one of the longer sessions,
The days you choose to do the brief sit,
And the days you choose not to practice?
This is mindfulness,
A compassionate exploration of how we engage our lives.
It is enough simply to attend to your experience.
Now,
For most of us,
This no longer comes naturally and we must practice.
That is what the meditations are for,
To help you nurture your capacity to attend to your experience.
Like learning to do a sport or play an instrument,
Our skills increase with practice.
Think of a child learning to walk.
If she falls,
She simply gets up and tries again,
Without judging or berating herself.
Perhaps you can bring this childlike willingness to this experiment.
Relish the process.
Simply get up and try again,
Here,
Now,
Whether it is returning to the breath and the moment or returning to the practices after a hiatus.
Please email me with your difficulties,
Epiphanies,
Comments,
And questions.
My contact information is on the back cover of the CDs.
May you experience the loving awareness that is your essential nature.
