Welcome to this Monday's Meditation on the Lawn,
Offered by the University of Virginia.
Hello,
I'm Kay Wood-Fitzhew.
I'm one of the teachers with the UVA Mindfulness Center,
And I'm an ambassador with the UVA School of Nursing Compassionate Care Initiative.
I really enjoy the consistent connection each Monday that I feel when meditating with others and pausing to spend some time with myself.
A big part of mindfulness practice is this returning over and over again to practice.
While I've enjoyed the time spent each Monday for these 15 minutes,
Mindfulness actually provides the ability for any of us to drop in at any moment on any given day at any given time.
And by dropping in,
What I mean is that the attention is turned inward.
Our attentions are usually focused outward to others,
To desires,
To wants,
To activities.
But in mindfulness,
The attention is turned inward,
Providing the opportunity to get to know ourselves in a more intimate and meaningful way.
And that's a valuable thing because when we don't cultivate a relationship with ourselves,
We can feel really disconnected by all those outward activities.
Disconnected from our minds,
Disconnected from our bodies,
And disconnected from our hearts.
And when this happens,
We don't know how to bring a sense of ease and peace to our lives.
And usually when we sense this disconnection with ourselves,
Of course we feel disconnected from others.
So cultivating a relationship with ourselves can help address those moments of disconnections that we feel.
So in some sense,
These Monday meditations are plugging back in after the weekend to our own hearts,
Our own minds,
And our own bodies.
And in doing so,
We are also plugging in to our community of connections with others.
Cultivating this type of intimacy with ourselves is actually an act of loving kindness.
And it can bring stability and ease.
Last week we were led in a lovely body scan meditation by Leslie.
And this week I'll be leading a guided meditation on grounding for the mind called equanimity.
Equanimity is a mental calmness,
A composure,
And evenness of temper,
Especially in a difficult situation.
We've all been facing this the last year.
And equanimity actually gives us the ability to surf these waves instead of being pummeled by them.
In the beginning of the pandemic,
There was a sense of connection because we all went into it together.
But now we are isolated by reentering at different times.
So taking your seat,
Finding a comfortable position,
And settling into your posture,
Turning the attention inward,
And being aware of this body as it is right now.
Allowing the mind to drop into the body and noticing what's here.
Everything is welcome.
And this is what is empowering about mindfulness.
May I accept things as they are.
Allowing the attention to rest on the phrases.
May I accept things as they are.
Noticing what might arise in the mind,
The heart,
And the body.
As best I can,
May I accept things as they are.
Not as I wish they could be,
Not as I want them to be,
But truly as they are.
As best I can,
To the best of my ability,
May I accept things as they are.
Noticing what is arising in the body,
The mind,
And the heart.
May I accept things as they are.
And you can use these phrases or find phrases that resonate with you.
May I accept things as they are.
As if you were standing here with a trusted friend in this moment.
May I accept things as they are.
Feeling a sense of calm and ease.
And then changing the phrase,
May I accept myself as I am.
In this moment,
As best I can,
May I accept myself as I am.
How is this for you?
In this moment,
As much as possible.
Not demanding,
But simply an invitation.
May I accept myself as I am.
Not as I want to be,
Not who I wish I was,
But as I am in this moment.
May I accept myself as I am.
May I accept myself as I am.
With all my imperfections,
With all my shortcomings,
With all of my mistakes,
As best I can in this moment,
May I accept myself as I am.
How does this resonate for you?
May I accept myself as I am.
And then changing the phrase,
And may my heart be at ease.
As best I can,
In spite of all the circumstances.
In spite of all suffering,
The wrongdoings,
The mistreatments,
The inefficiencies of systems.
As best I can,
In this moment,
May my heart be at ease.
Noticing the sensations in the body,
Noticing the thoughts,
The emotions evoked.
And containing it all,
Because it's already been here.
We're just being still to notice.
As best I can,
May my heart be at ease.
May I accept things as they are.
This is how it is now.
Knowing impermanence,
Knowing they will change.
But in this moment,
As best I can,
May I accept things as they are.
Inviting the mind and the body to relax.
And may I accept myself as I am.
How is this for you in this moment?
As much as possible,
May I accept myself as I am.
In kindness,
Gentleness,
Compassion,
Patience.
May I accept myself as I am.
And may my heart be at ease.
As much as is possible in this moment,
Knowing all things will pass,
Knowing that our lives constantly shift and change,
May my heart be at ease.
And now being silence for a few moments,
And whatever phrases resonate with you,
Of cultivating this intimacy with yourself,
Noticing the sensations of the body,
Noticing the thoughts,
The heart.
Resting in this moment of awareness.
Noticing where the breath flows in and out of the body.
If able,
Allowing a little softening to the body,
The mind and the heart.
The sense of welcoming,
Embracing.
Narrowing the focus of attention now back onto the breath.
Understanding what is here for you now.
Knowing that this practice is available to you on any day at any time if it's helpful for you.
You may make up your own phrases that resonate with you for a sense of calm and ease.
And with our attention turned inward,
I'd like to end our time together with a poem that I've enjoyed during the historical time of this pandemic,
Knowing that all things are my teacher.
It felt love by Hafiz.
How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all its beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light against its being.
Otherwise we all remain too frightened.
How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all its beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light against its being.
Otherwise we all remain too frightened.
Finding a sense of ease,
Intimacy,
And connection.
And enjoying one last breath together.
When you're ready,
Slowly opening the eyes.
Thank you all for joining us this morning for the virtual meditation of the lawn with the Contemplative Study Center.
I want to thank all of you and the Study Center for what they provide to our university and the world.
