Stress Reduction – Page 45

Sheltered

April 10, 2014April 9, 2014 Karl Duffy1 Comment

File:Lamb sheltering in field in Penmachno - geograph.org.uk - 1433152.jpg

Wherever we are, whatever we do, all we need to do is recognize our thoughts, feelings, perceptions as something natural. Neither rejecting or accepting, we simply acknowledge the experience and let it pass. If we keep this up, we’ll eventually find ourselves becoming able to manage situations we once found painful, scary or sad. We’ll discover a sense of confidence that isn’t rooted in arrogance or pride. We’ll realize that we are always sheltered, always safe and always home.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, The Joy of Living

photo richard hoare

Work with whatever arises

April 10, 2014April 9, 2014 Karl Duffy2 Comments

As many teachers have pointed out, “the path is the goal”. That means that what we experience as “obstacles” along the way is usually just a sense of our own expectations falling apart. These same obstacles can be viewed differently, as the basis for reengaging our attention and working through whatever arises, whether it is a sense of purpose and satisfaction, or boredom and resistance, or a sense of futility. Work with whatever arises

Cyndi Lee, Yoga Body, Buddha Mind

photo prayitno

Ordinary and more

April 9, 2014April 4, 2014 Karl Duffy3 Comments

Mindfulness helps you fall in love with the ordinary

Thich Nhat Hahn

The chickens leave the coop

April 8, 2014April 8, 2014 Karl Duffy5 Comments

Feelings arise within the state of calm. The mind is experiencing feelings and calm at the same time, without being disturbed. When there is calm like this, there are no harmful consequences. Problems occur when the chicken gets out of the coop. For instance you may be watching the breath entering and leaving and then forget yourself, allowing the mind to wander away from the breath, back home, off to the shops or any number of different places. Perhaps even a half hour may pass before you suddenly realize that you’re supposes to be practicing meditation and you reprimand yourself for your lack of mindfulness. This is where you have to be really careful because this is where the chicken gets out of the coop – the mind leaves its base of calm.

Ajahn Chah, What’s What

photo erik christensen

Giving life to life

April 8, 2014April 8, 2014 Karl Duffy2 Comments

We are paying full attention when there is nothing between us and the task at hand. If you are facing a sink full of dirty dishes and the mind is taken up with aversion to the task, impatience with how long it is taking, thinking about what movie you’re going to see that night, you are separated from what you are doing. The hands are washing but the mind is not. To be divided this way is to be less than fully alive. Giving our whole body and mind over to a task being undivided and intimate in your action is what the Chinese masters called giving life to life

Larry Rosenberg, Breath by Breath

photo adam jones

Two possible directions for today…..and this week

April 7, 2014April 4, 2014 Karl Duffy1 Comment

I’ve discovered there are only two modes of the heart.

We can struggle, or we can surrender. Surrender means wisely accommodating ourselves to what is beyond our control. Getting old, being sick, losing what is dear to us, life’s unsatisfactoriness – all are beyond our control.

I can either be frightened of life and mad at life – or not.

Sylvia Boorstein

photo mike shinners

About this Blog

Mindfulbalance supports the slow, patient practice of mindfulness meditation, as a way to find balance and meaning in life, reduce stress and develop health and wellbeing. It contains reflections to encourage the practice of meditation as well as occasional posts from psychology, spirituality and the wisdom traditions. The daily posts are prompted by Rilke's advice: "Write about what your everyday life offers you, your sorrows and desires, the thoughts that pass through your mind, and your belief in some kind of beauty". Written in County Laois, Ireland