Good morning,
Good afternoon,
And good evening to everyone around the world.
Thanks so much for coming.
Today is session 19 of our 30 session Introduction to Meditation course and we're going to do the fourth of five planned sessions on equanimity.
Last week we explored the practice of just simply watching things as they arose without labeling them or deciding if we like them or don't like them and then today we're going to explore habit patterns how we react to stimulus internally and externally and how our reactions can be an impulse to respond in some way either annoyed and wanting to lash out or say a harsh word or respond with an excitement in a love and then over time these habits over time these reactions form habits and a pattern begins.
This is called reactivity and with repetition it hardens and it calcifies until one day we pass this invisible point of no return where these patterns seem to form our very sense of self-identity.
We start to label ourselves as this kind of person or that kind of person and I was reading the other day Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol and in it was a line that I thought was so perfect for this particular kind of meditation that we're doing and it begins with Scrooge talking to the ghost of Christmas past and he begins you are fettered said Scrooge trembling tell me why I wear the chain I forged in life replied the ghost I made it link by link and yard by yard I girded it on of my own free will and of my free will I wore it is its pattern strange to you now this meditation we had planned for months to you know before it's session 19 of 30 but it falling on the Lunar New Year was particularly coincidental even synchronistic because this is the year of the snake and the snake is a metaphor for shedding its old skin and therefore allowing it to adopt new ways so it's a hopeful shedding of the old and a taking on of the new and shedding our skin or our habit patterns they're like worn furrows in a road or a field they show that over time a strategy we once used was effective once long ago so we keep applying it even if the circumstances have changed like old clothes that no longer fit but we wear them anyways breaking the fetter of habit means getting out of the habit of reacting in any particular way seeing them as only a habit you have gotten into you don't have to be the way you are there is no necessity about it to begin changing habits we first calm ourselves to establish a stable base from which we can observe ourselves without judgments or criticisms seeing how our judgments perceptions biases which we build our identity are simply constructions where we build our chains link by link over time these chains limit us and hold us back making us think that we are certain way because of certain memories experiences traumas and conditions that view limits and reduces us and our potential by practicing equanimity we learn to observe how we react and respond to situations and from that we can change ourselves we can learn that we aren't just a single wave in the ocean we are in fact the very vastness of the ocean itself the good news is since nothing is permanent neither are our habits we can learn to reverse the hardening of our hearts and heal ourselves and our relationships let's explore enjoy the meditation coming now to sit entering into our meditation setting your intention to be here present and alert finding your favorite meditation posture sitting as tall as you can with the least amount of effort back straight upright aligned body relaxed resilient in the balance between effort and ease your posture gives you the sense of dignity strength stability and presence beginning with three deep calming breaths breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth making a soft sigh bringing your awareness to the sensations of breath in deep slow releasing softening your forehead eyes jaw mouth tongue neck shoulders arms hands chest lower back belly groin legs feet with each out breath settling deeper and deeper into your meditation releasing any tension tightness soreness fatigue wherever you find it in your body layer by layer breath by breath activating your equanimity finding a kind of openness and how you sit an easygoing ness a commitment to yourself not to get tense or tight about things needing to be perfect letting sounds be there letting distractions be there it's okay everything going on in and around you is welcome when your mind notices one of these distractions congratulations you've awoken smile no judgments or criticisms and ease your awareness back to breath and simply begin again the two meditation skills that help most with reactivity urges habits are equanimity and clarity let's start with equanimity this brave capacity to stay open and available even when things get intense to help us find this stance imagine yourself as a mountain breathing in feel the mountains solidity breathing out its endurance feeling its stone roots deep into the earth open and present try this on your own for a bit good imagining you're a mountain solid stable strong rooted open there's a patience here a stillness a sense of uplift coming from deep within the earth up through your feet groin and spine into the sky feel your breath arising from deep within the earth breathing energy up into your body and then with the out breath back down into the earth connected now that we're grounded stable solid as a mountain let's begin exploring clarity seeing how our impulses reactions urges and habits arise and how they feel in our body to help us with this will use our imagination to think of a situation that has annoyed you in the past don't choose the worst thing that's ever happened something low-level perhaps a friend partner sibling or colleague who from time to time might push your buttons or annoy you and as you bring this memory to your imagination notice where in your body do you feel this annoyance we're all different perhaps it might feel like a pressure in your face a tightening of your eyes lips jaw a pulling in your chest a vibration in your arms a clenching in your belly or your sphincter even an impulse to lash out and say something noticing is how we build our clarity and part of clarity is understanding the natural life cycle of an urge or distraction every urge every reaction has a bell-shaped curve the reaction comes up peaks and then goes back down again our practice is not to block or suppress any urge rather we're trying to find a way to be bigger than any single thing to watch it arise stay around a while and go all on its own while we maintain this larger container of mountain ness and openness keep practicing your inner largeness present open patient solid stable rooted nothing can touch the open space of your awareness distractions reactions impulses come and go you remain and now just relax just be here and enjoy your breath for a few moments of total rest when the bell rings ease your attention to chanting feel each syllable resonating within and without mantras are repetitive rhythms vibrating through our bodies and consciousness imagine the effect of water droplets dripping onto the surface of a pool of water sending regular pleasing patterns of ripples throughout the water touching all parts of the shore and as we focus on these ripples we ride them into deeper and deeper levels of relaxation and concentration yo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo yo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo nam myoho renge kyo Breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
In,
Breathing in,
My breath grows deep.
Breathing out,
My breath goes slow.
Deep,
Deep,
Slow.
Breathing in,
I see myself as a mountain.
Breathing out,
I feel solid.
Mountain,
Solid.
Breathing in,
I am open.
Breathing out,
I am stable.
Open,
Stable.
Breathing in,
I am present.
Breathing out,
I am welcoming.
Present,
Welcoming.
Of course in life,
Sometimes our reactions are justified.
What we're practicing is the unfiltered awareness of how we are feeling and giving ourselves the space and time to choose whether or not we want to respond.
Having the space to decide whether it's actually in our best interest and the other person's best interest to respond or not.
Like we're in a game of tug-of-war,
Tugging and pulling and groaning,
Where instead we might choose to just drop the rope.
That freedom comes from inside us,
No one else.
When we're aware of our reactivity,
Urges,
Impulses and habits inwardly and then avoid acting on them outwardly,
We're no longer reinforcing our old habit patterns.
We can shed the old skin,
Put away the old clothes and we begin changing the habit patterns that are already there.
Take a moment to let that sink in.
You can change your habit patterns.
You can heal and transform.
Equanimity is the single deepest,
Most brave,
Most excellent training a human being can do.
Slowly,
Gradually,
Beginning to emerge from your meditation,
Releasing and relaxing your meditation posture,
Wiggling your toes and your fingers,
Rolling your wrists and your ankles,
Rubbing your legs,
Rocking back and forth,
Side to side,
Bringing motion back into your body,
Waking it up slowly and taking a deep breath in,
Stretching your arms up to the sky,
A nice big stretch and as you lower your arms,
Letting out a nice sigh,
Reaching behind to your lower back,
Giving your lower back a massage,
Bringing your hands around to your lower belly,
Gently holding your lower belly,
Repeating to yourself,
I am well.
Hands over your heart,
Repeating,
I am happy,
Loved and loving.
Crossing your arms,
Putting your hands on your opposite shoulders,
Giving yourself a hug.
As you lightly stroke down your arm from shoulder to elbow a few times,
Repeating,
I am safe.
At home,
In my body,
With my breath.
And lightly rubbing your face,
Your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your cheeks,
Jaw,
Mouth,
Nose,
Through your hair,
Over your head,
Around to the back of your neck,
Pausing to give your neck and shoulders a massage.
And hands back to your heart and back to your belly,
Repeating,
I am peaceful and at ease.
And take a few moments to thank yourself for giving yourself this gift of awareness,
Self-care and coming together as a group,
A community to share it with each other.
And knowing that these skills you've practiced when things get a little unsteady,
A bit wobbly,
To recall your mountainness,
Your rootedness.
Give yourself some space and time.
Rubbing the palms of your hands together,
Warming them.
Lightly cupping them over your face.
And as you breathe in,
Opening your eyes into your hands.
And as you breathe out,
Bringing your hands together,
Left and right,
Palm to palm,
In front of your heart.
Thank you.
