Week 1 (3/12/26)
Way Of Awareness- Class One Home Practice-
I will arrive at 6:20 pm on the day of our practice group- in case you have any questions and of course, there will also be Q & A during the class as well.
Click Here for a PDF copy of the home practices.
- Gratitude Practice. Text or e-mail your buddies from class 3 things you are grateful for each day. Can be anything.
- Sitting practice: Try sitting for a minimum of 5-10 minutes per day (or more if you are able). It is helpful to find a quiet space or room, a consistent time, and a chair or cushion that best supports your sitting practice. It is helpful to use a timer (if using your phone, place it a distance away from where you are sitting) Please practice your meditation in silence. (if you use an app-try using it only a couple times a week)
- Experiment with different postures and meditation supports — a cushion, a chair, or a bench. Find what works best for your body to help develop an alert and easeful posture. One that supports your attention to the present moment experience of the body/breath or body/touch points or body/sounds.
- Bring an attitude of kindness, curiosity and interest into your sitting practice.
As you meditate, begin by settling into the body. Aware of sitting (and the sensations such as the body making contact with the sofa, bed, mat, the floor, or your sitting bones on the cushion or chair. Then gently bring the attention to rest on the breathing either at the nostrils, the chest area, or the abdomen (pick just one place- the easiest for you to feel the sensations of the breath). Using the breath as an anchor. Feel the sensations of breathing. You can also use touch points- hands, feet, sitting bones, lips as your anchor. Simply receive the sensations. Or you can use sounds as your anchor. Sounds near or far, all around you, spaces between sounds, tone, pitch, length, loudness. Simply listen- Please choose just one anchor: breath, touch points, or sounds. Stick with the one that is the easiest for you as your anchor. - This practice is a practice of remembering, so when your mind wanders and you notice it wandering or you wake up from the story/trance you are in. Simply…
Delight that you are awake, ground in the body and gently, escort the attention back to the breath, the touch points or the sounds – whichever is your anchor. The anchor is a place you return to when you wake up and the story pops. Please let go of any judgments about returning to opening to the anchor. Every time you bring your attention back to the present moment, you are developing mindfulness. - Ask yourself everyday-What keeps you from paying attention in your life? From living more fully? What keeps you from living here in the present?
- HAVE FUN!