Opening (To) The World

In this practice of G.R.O.U.N.D., we've explored G, connecting to the earth and to each other and becoming more grounded in place and in community; and R, resting in the present moment (plus some strategies for that). On this episode of the Wake Up Call, the inquiry is about O, opening to whatever is here. Opening to whatever is here, to what's in front of us, around us, inside us, is a fundamental mindfulness practice. And, for me anyway, it's rarely as easy as it sounds.

Transcript

Hello, Everyone, And welcome to the Wake Up Call. This is Judy Cohen. This is Wake Up Call 299. And the title for today's call is Opening to the World. So we've been practicing a new practice called Ground. And the G Ground, Meaning first, Just to take a moment to touch the ground, The earth, Feeling the earth as a support, A place of refuge, Solid, Place you can walk, Stand, Sit, Lie down, Stay. Get grounded, Whether it's in your solitary practice and you begin the practice by imagining yourself connected to the earth for a few minutes or you're in the middle of your day and you take a moment of portable practice to feel that vertical connection by planting your feet or your bottom firmly on the ground, Or maybe you're doing that in your imagination from ten stories up and get settled right in the middle of everyday life. So G for ground and also G for ground, Meaning find common ground, The common ground of community or tribe or family or firm or organization, Whatever feels for you like the common ground that you share with other like minded, Like hearted humans or maybe all humans or maybe all beings sensing into the groundedness of horizontal interconnectivity or as Thich Nhat Hanh says, Interbeing, The interbeing of life. And so ground, That's the G R, O U N D, R is for rest. Talked about this last week. And one way of thinking about it, Rest is connecting with yourself, Your body, Your breath, The sounds in your space, Your own experience in each moment and resting right there. So this can be in solitary practice where you do a body scan or something else that supports physical rest, Because without resting the body, The mind, At least my mind, Has a really hard time relaxing. And it can also be in your portable practice where you rest as you're walking, As you're making food, As you're eating food, Rest as you listen. Even rest as you speak, Slow things down for greater understanding. And because it's easier to care for others and also for yourself when things are a bit slower and more restful. And also the simplest, Maybe the most powerful, But sometimes the hardest to remember, Rest on each out breath. Make a practice of remembering as often as you can to rest on the out breath. Whether you're sitting or standing in line at the grocery store or waiting for a client or a witness, Rest on each out breath. And in doing that, Create space not only for rest, But maybe for patience, For tolerance, Even for curiosity. Okay. And then O, Today, G R O U N D. Today, Let's look at O, Which is about opening. And this series of talks that began with talking about equanimity, The last of the four heavenly abodes of the heart and mind that I'd been talking about since last summer, This series starting with equanimity and then moving into the practice of ground was really inspired by the O. And it happened because in the US and many places, But for sure not all, Things are beginning to open. And I felt like I needed equanimity to move into that opening. And more than just the practice of equanimity, I needed a way to open that was kind of like a sequence, Almost like a yoga sequence. And so that's how ground was born. And it happened because almost immediately after I got my first vaccine dose, I could see, And if you've had that happen, Maybe you can too, That opening isn't going to be simple. I mean, It's not like I thought last year when I thought maybe we all thought that the world would shut down for a month or two or maybe three after a year and a quarter, Yeah, A year and a quarter of sheltering in place. Kind of what feels to me sometimes like huddling in place, Opening the world. It's just not feeling simple. It's not like, Yay, Great, Let's get back to the office. Let's go out to eat. Let's see a movie. Let's hear some music. For me, It's still a little scary in terms of the virus. I just flew for the first time and I felt like I wanted to be super cautious and everybody around me felt like they looked like they were being really cautious. But it's also scary just in terms of just being too, Just talking with people, Interacting, Making plans, Feeling any kind of normalcy, Just walking down the street like the CDC in the US just said we don't have to wear masks if we're vaccinated, Walking down the street. But how does that feel presenting ourselves? I have a whole closet full of clothes or at least the bottoms, Right, That I haven't worn in over a year. And it feels weird to start putting them on. It's a lot. And it feels like testing a kind of a new edge. So it used to be for me that my edge, Maybe yours too, Was way, Way out there. I'd take on whatever work or family or friend obligations or engagements I could and just naturally find myself in these endless interactive situations that I never thought about. Conversations, Offices, Courtrooms, Buses, Trains, Taxis, Planes, Crowded places like stations and airports and hotels and restaurants and shows and streets and farmers markets and shops and other people's homes, A kind of an endless experience of in-person interaction that I dressed for and sometimes I rehearsed. But mostly I considered it the background of what I was really up to. If I thought about it at all, Which mostly I didn't. All of that interaction was the part of life I took for granted as just being the fabric of life, My work, My social life, My family life. It all rested on top of that. And maybe there was stress or challenge or exhilaration. But the part about being out in the world was just background. And now we've all been home for over a year. We've been quiet. I mean, Maybe we've been out a little bit, Depending on where you work and live. Maybe you've been out a bit. Maybe you've been at your office. Maybe you've been in a pod or in some kinds of limited interactive situations. But largely we've all been at home, Online, Quiet, Sequestered, Safe. It's almost been like being on retreat. And now the world is opening. Now the world is opening and so ground, G, Ground and connect vertically and horizontally, R, Rest in the present moment. And then O, Open to the present moment, Feels easier said than done. I feel like I open up and I venture out and then I retreat. I open and I see what's safe and then I retreat to what I know is safe. It really reminds me of when my daughter was little and she'd do that adorable rapprochement that little children do where she'd walk away a few feet and she'd look back over her shoulder to make sure I was still there. And she'd go out a little further and then she'd check again, Make sure I was still there. It's developmental. And it feels like it's developmental for us right now, Too. And it's also mindfulness practice metaphor because mindfulness is fundamentally about opening to each moment. And yet I don't know about you, But for me, 100 times a day, I notice I have the opportunity to open to the present moment. And I don't always make that choice. So fear arises and I have a choice, Open to fear or come back to what feels like the safety of not doing that. Resentment arises and I have a choice, Open to it or retreat to the kind of perceived safety of not acknowledging a state of mind or a state of heart that I'd rather not see myself, See in myself, Right? Love is present and it feels full and big, So, So big that I have to ask myself, Can I stay with this? Can I open fully to love, Knowing that love is the most heartbreaking thing of all, That it'll bring tears to my eyes 100 times a day. And I work in a profession and I live in a world that doesn't generally bring boxes of tissues into the room. And yet this is our edge to go out, To experience life fully, Maybe retreat and then go back out again. And each time to open a little bit more to the experience of our life, Our inner life and our outer life. So I was looking around for someone who can say this much better than me, Which is hard to find when I start looking at all of the great teachers. And I found something that the beloved Tibetan teacher Pema Chodron wrote way back in 1991, She said, We open to the present moment and in doing that, See clearly how we hold back, How we pull away, How we shut down, How we close off. But the journey of awakening, The classic journey of the mythical hero or heroine is one of continually coming up against big challenges and then learning how to soften and open. You soften and feel compassion for your predicament and for the whole human condition. You soften so that you can actually sit there with those troubling feelings and let them soften you some more. So with those beautiful words, Let's sit. And first, Take a moment. And find your ground. Sense of the body sitting on the earth. Standing on the earth, Walking, Lying down. Connected. Sense of yourself connected to your community. Solitary practice, But not sitting alone. There are forty nine of us today not sitting alone. Solitary, But not alone. And rest. Noticing how on each out breath, We can really take advantage of that opportunity. To drop in and rest. And then open, Open to whatever is here. Open to the sensations in the body. Open to the sounds in your space. Open to the ability to see that the mind is probably thinking, Wandering away, Coming back. And to whatever emotions are coming and going. And to whatever emotions are coming and going. Open to the ability to see that the mind is probably thinking, Wandering away, Coming back. Open to the ability to see that the mind is probably thinking, Wandering away, Coming back. And to whatever emotions are coming and going. Noticing if you wandered off into planning or something in the past. Or gotten carried away by a story and just come on back to what's here. The journey of awakening, The classical journey of the mythical hero or heroine is one of continually coming up against big challenges and then learning how to soften and open. You soften and feel compassion for your predicament and for the whole human condition. You soften so that you can actually sit there with those troubling feelings and let them soften you more. Thank you everyone for being here on the wake-up call today. Have a beautiful Thursday and have a safe Thursday and weekend and say some prayers for India. See you all next Thursday.