Wednesday, March 18, 2020

A VIRTUAL SITTING GROUP

For some years now--since December, 2015, I remind myself!--Ellie and I have been hosting a neighborhood sitting group in our home. I don't presume to "teach", but I do offer a guided meditation, and it has become one of the great pleasures of lives. Now that we must observe "social distancing" rules to slow the spread of the corona virus, I've proposed to our group that those who so choose can continue our practice in their own homes. We start this evening. READERS OF THE BUDDHA DIARIES WOULD BE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE, WHEREVER THEY MAY BE. Here's the email I sent out:

So, welcome everyone who chooses to join us. It’s a good moment to practice. Here’s the plan:

Set some form of reminder to alert you before our 6:30 start time this evening. I will send out an email reminder at 6:15. Take a few minutes to prepare and get comfortable.

If possible, use the “Insight Timer” app on your phone (if that’s not workable, use the regular timer feature on your phone and choose a pleasant, quiet ending sound). On the Insight Timer home page, choose “timer” and select “duration”. Set the duration for our usual 40 minutes (or less, if you choose) and an “ending bell” whose sound pleases you. While on “duration” you can also choose a “warm up” time to allow you to get comfortable before the start bell—15 seconds works for me. (If you have problems, you could always call me ahead of time on my cell phone…)

To start, don’t forget to silence your cell phone! Now imagine yourself arriving and getting settled into our group in your mind’s eye. Visualize a few faces. Send out thoughts of welcome and wishes for good health and well-being.

Once settled into our circle, you already know the rest: move on into a few deep, whole body, awakening breaths: "I am" (with energy, on the inbreath)…” awake" (resting in awareness with the outbreath).

Next, thoughts of goodwill: for yourself, for those you hold close… and so on.

And move on into directed, concentrated breath, starting with the area around the navel, the lower belly, upper belly, and so on (you know the route!) If you find areas of tension or distress, use the breath to allow them to dissipate.

(YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH DISTRACTIONS! KEEP RETURNING TO THE BREATH!)

Once your scan is complete, you can choose to repeat it; or move on into whole body breathing, fingertip to fingertip, top of the head to the tips of the toes; or choose one area for further, deeper concentration. Try to widen your awareness with each breath. As you become more relaxed, be sure to become also more AWAKE. (No snoozing!)

As you approach the end of meditation, return to thoughts of goodwill. Spread them out in all directions, north, south, east and west, above and below, all the way out to infinity….



****NOTE: Afterwards, please return to the email and check in with a brief (or lengthy!) report on your sit, to encourage our awareness of each other****

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