Welcome,
Friends.
Did you know that we think up to 60,
000 thoughts a day?
That is a lot of thinking.
So if you're finding your mind racing or running and always ruminating,
Then join me in a calming meditation.
My name is Linda Orsini,
And I just came back from walking my dog.
As dogs do,
He was running and seeking,
Smelling and sniffing.
Can you picture a playful dog,
A curious dog,
Eagerly running after every bone it sees?
Well,
Just like my dog and all dogs,
This represents the doggy mind.
And the doggy mind is impulsive.
It chases after every impulse and desire that arises within us.
Then there's the monkey mind that swings from tree to tree,
From thought to thought.
The monkey mind is restless and wild.
Either the doggy or the monkey mind,
The goal of meditation is really not to stop thinking,
Which is actually literally impossible and totally unfair to our minds.
Every day we wake up thinking of what we need to do and what we want to do.
And so we train our minds to be thinking,
Planning and processing.
And then we walk into a room or we create a space where we tell our mind to slow down.
Well,
The mind does not flip a switch so easily.
And so it's quite unfair that we are so hard on ourselves.
When our mind does not slow down when we wish it to.
The goal in meditation is to observe what is going on in your mind by watching it think as a process that is happening instead of engaging in the story,
In the narrative,
In the drama.
Your mind will move,
It'll jump from thought to thought.
Just like my dog or other dogs.
Just like monkeys.
Our mind is no different.
The doggy mind and the monkey mind both thrive on attention.
And just like stray animals,
If you feed them,
They will always return wanting more.
So if you're constantly feeding your thoughts by paying attention to the storyline,
They will in fact keep coming back.
The key in creating present moment awareness in meditation is if it's possible in this moment to simply observe your mind chasing thoughts or jumping around.
When we feed into these thoughts,
Feelings and emotions,
It can cause us great unease.
So the key here is to not feed into the monkey or the doggy mind.
Which makes me think of a very special story.
I'd like to share this with you here now.
It's a Native American parable and it goes like this.
The Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.
A fight is going on inside me,
He said to the boy.
It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One is evil.
He is anger,
Envy,
Sorrow,
Regret,
Greed,
Arrogance,
Self-pity,
Guilt,
Resentment,
Inferiority,
Lies,
False pride,
Superiority and ego.
The Cherokee continued.
The other one is good.
He is joy,
Peace,
Love,
Hope,
Serenity,
Humility,
Kindness,
Empathy,
Generosity,
Truth,
Compassion and faith.
Well,
He said to his grandson,
The same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person too.
The grandson thought about it for a moment and then asked his grandfather,
Which wolf will win?
The old Cherokee simply replied,
The one you feed.
This Native American parable truly reflects and reminds us that we have the power over our experiences and emotions.
We can decide to feed into negativity or even pleasure for that matter or becoming more mindful of the moment.
As John Kabat-Zinn reminds us,
Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose in the present moment and non-judgmentally or as I like to say,
Knowing what we are doing,
Why we are doing it.
And so,
I invite you to settle into greater ease and to become the observer of your mind and your thoughts.
When the monkey or doggy mind appears,
Just notice and then release.
Release attaching,
Chasing or jumping from thought to thought.
But mindfully become present in the moment and to the awareness of your breath.
You can focus on your breath either at the belly or at the edges of your nostrils,
Whatever resonates with you.
Finding deeper stillness here with your eyes maybe already closed and certainly softened.
Notice and feel your breath.
Feel the chest rise on the inhale and soften on the exhale.
On the exhale,
Take a deep inhale and then exhale,
Release.
Allow your whole physical body to give into gravity.
Really offer yourself this time and this space.
Really come into a sense of ease,
Giving your mind full permission to soften,
Your muscles to soften and your whole body to relax.
As you become more and more comfortable in this moment,
Feel yourself getting more still,
More silent,
Drawing deeper inward.
As you breathe here,
You can invite the mantra OM or just follow your breath.
Allow your gaze to draw to the space between your brows,
Allowing your exhales to be longer than your inhales.
And know that if your mind begins to chase thoughts,
Just imagine that little puppy dog on the end of a leash where you gently guide the puppy dog back to you.
Well,
You can do that with your mind as well.
If your mind begins to wander,
Gently guide your mind back to the present moment with kindness and compassion.
And now take another deep inhale through your nose and exhale,
Sighing it out through your mouth.
Allow yourself to turn inwards and be here as you follow your breath for the mantra OM.
And allow your mind to soften until you hear the sound of the singing bells.
So slowly and gently,
Come back into your physical body.
Take a deep inhale through your nose and exhale,
Release what no longer serves you.
Offering yourself here a sense of gratitude to finding stillness,
A sense of gratitude to yourself for practicing here,
For creating the space to tame your mind and to soften,
To release the urge to chase or jump from thought to thought.
But to merely be here,
Being the observer of your breath does take a lot of courage.
And so offer yourself a sense of gratitude.
As Pema Chodron says,
Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and becoming something better or even different.
It's about befriending who we already are.
Practicing meditation is something that you may want to consider inviting more into your life.
Meditation is a gift we give to ourselves because it allows us to respond to life with more grace and ease.
Always wishing you peace and joy.
From my heart to yours,
Namaste.
