Today with a quote and it's about the the mindfulness quality or characteristic of non-striving.
So this comes to us from Michael Carroll.
We may come to our meditation with the hope of reducing our stress or perfecting our technique or maybe even attaining enlightenment.
But very soon discover that the practice requires that we drop such ambition.
And sit still on the cushion.
Letting go of our internal dialogue and opening to our world.
Very simply,
Very direct.
And I really enjoy this reminder so often with mindfulness that the characteristic or quality that's emphasized is non judging or suspending judgment.
And this reminder about non-striving or suspending striving is something that we'll explore today.
So let's do that together.
Beginning by settling in.
Feet resting comfortably upon the floor.
Thighs and bottom resting comfortably upon the chair.
Danny Arguetty.
Inviting a rising up of the spine towards the sky,
Not forced or rigid just a comfortable lifting up through spine all the way up through crown the top of head.
Perhaps a few shoulder rolls,
Loosening and lowering shoulders on torso.
Danny Arguetty.
Arms draping down from shoulders and finding a comfortable resting place,
Perhaps cupped within lap or resting upon thighs.
Inviting a loosening of jaw.
And eyes opened or closed,
Whichever you find more comfort and ease and safety with.
Inviting a settling in of body.
Feeling the support of the floor and the chair.
And balancing that with a.
Wakefulness.
Of mind,
Which comes through this rising up of spine and Opening front one of the.
I think most lovely poetic ways of speaking of this posture is an open front and a strong back.
In the balance between those two.
Notice that with this rising up and this opening,
How it invites perhaps a fuller breath in this moment,
Not forced.
Danny Arguetty.
Inviting life giving air all the way down to the base of our lungs.
Danny Arguetty.
Again,
Not forced,
Our bodies know how to do this.
It's more so trusting and tuning in to body breathing in this moment.
Feeling that full cycle of body breathing.
Each inhale.
In each exhale.
Letting that fill our awareness,
Filling our focus in this moment,
Body breathing,
The sensations that come with that.
And trusting as well that when focus drifts perhaps into memories of the past or to do awaiting us in our future.
That's a natural occurrence as well,
Just our minds doing what our minds do.
And we notice that drifting off into the past or future.
Just acknowledging,
Oh look,
I've drifted away.
With the gentleness and the kindness,
Easing,
Ushering our focus back to body breathing once again.
And in the spirit of the.
.
.
Exploration of suspending striving,
One of the mindfulness qualities or characteristics.
Especially these non-characteristics,
So non-judging,
Non-striving,
Can be some of the most challenging.
How do you not do something?
And the way to ease herself into this is actually noticing the doing.
So inviting ourselves,
What am I seeking today when I decided to log into this meditation or pull up the recording later?
What was I seeking?
And recognizing it's okay to want change.
It's okay to seek something.
Perhaps with that label of bettering myself.
That's okay,
Nothing bad about that.
And sometimes that leads to amazing accomplishments in our life,
Amazing success with accolades and all.
This is exploring another way of approaching a challenge or difficulty.
And it's fully acknowledging what's present in this moment and how sometimes all that I need is found right here.
Right now.
And the only way that I discovered that is dropping down beneath that seeking,
That striving.
And being with what is found in this moment.
Both within and around me.
This is what suspending striving looks like,
Feels like,
By first noticing that urge,
That desire for things to be different.
Without judgment,
Just a look.
I'm wishing things were different.
And then dropping down beneath that and seeing what is there found within and around me in this moment.
A being with of sorts.
So exploring that together,
First,
What am I seeking?
What do I wish to be different,
Both around me or within?
Maybe it's wishing to.
Have our thoughts be different or.
Emotions be different.
Or body be different.
Just acknowledging that,
Seeking,
That desiring.
Or maybe it's something in our environment we wish to be different,
Or a relationship,
Or a person.
Just acknowledging,
Honoring that desire,
That wish for something to be different.
Inviting a one step back and observing that urge,
That desire.
From this place of one step back.
And then noticing how from this stance of one step back that there's some space between me and this urge and desire.
And feeling that space,
That stepping back.
An opportunity of a letting go of this driving.
May still be there,
But experiencing some space between self and that striving.
Sometimes.
That striving may have a certain stickiness to it,
Like picking up a Post-it note stuck to your fingers.
And just noticing that stickiness of this driving.
And again,
Taking one step back.
A little bit of space,
The power of observing or witnessing.
Perhaps less than some of that stickiness.
And perhaps opening to what gift or opportunity is found.
Within this spaciousness.
Danny Arguetty.
Notice how that can turn into striving as well.
Striving can be tricky.
Opening up to the spaciousness and what is there to be found.
Which may just be freedom from striving.
What's that like?
Sense of not trying to make anything happen in this moment other than creating space within.
Sometimes the quickest way forward.
Is sitting within the stillness.
Welcome to paradox,
My friends.
This is what we find when we practice mindfulness.
Now taking a full breath.
Opening eyes if they were closed.
Reconnecting with your surroundings visually and physically.
Maybe a little stretch,
A little movement.
Transitioning back into your day.
And exploring the possibility of.
Moments during your day.
When you find yourself with seeking or desiring things to be different.
And exploring the possibility of.
Creating spaciousness.
And stillness.
Dropping down beneath that.
Desire that seeking and seeing what gifts,
What opportunities.
Maybe dwell in there.
Thanks everyone.
A pleasure to hang out with you all.
Thank you and be well.
