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I believe that this is the value of coming here.  We learn to listen with our hearts. Those who come here do feel accepted and for a while do not feel so alone. 

DAILY MEDITATION
 
Listening as Spiritual Hospitality
March 11
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To listen is very hard because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept.

Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.
Henri Nouwen
 
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Encountering Grief: A 10-Minute Guided Meditation with Joan Halifax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“May I accept my sadness knowing that I am not my sadness.”

 

At the end of her interview with Krista Tippett at the Chautauqua Institution in New York on July 11, 2012, Zen abbot Joan Halifax led the audience through this “guided meditation on encountering grief — grief as something ordinary, part of life and humanity.” Please download it and share with friends and family.

 

I would like to invite you to put down whatever might be in your hand. And to find a position that’s comfortable and also that supports you. And listen to my words. And if they are resonant for you, if they are helpful really let them enter into your experience. And also bring your own experience in your own language to what is being pointed to as we touch into this meditation on grief.

Beginning with remembering really why you’re here.

Bring your attention to the breath for just a moment.

And let the breath sweep your mind and notice whether it’s a deep breath or shallow.

Recall for a moment now a loss or losses that have really touched you, or the anticipation of loss.

 

I’ll offer some simple phrases that we can touch into around the truth of grief.

 

May I be open to the pain of grief.

Notice whatever comes up, not rejecting it, not clinging to it.

 

***May I be open to the sorrow, to the pain of grief.

***May I find the inner resources to really be present for my sorrow.

***May I find the inner resources to really be present for my sorrow.

     And notice any judgement or resistance that arises. It’ll pass.

***May I accept my sadness knowing that I am not my sadness.

***May I accept my sadness knowing that I am not my sadness.

     And if you’ve cared for someone and felt like it wasn’t always so easy, reflect on this phrase:

***May I forgive myself for not meeting my loved one’s needs.

***May I forgive myself for not always being able to meet my loved one’s needs.

     And may I forgive myself for mistakes made and things left undone.

    So true of all of our life.

***May I forgive myself for mistakes made and things left undone.

***May to be open with others and with myself about my experience of loss.

***May I be open to receive the kindness of others as they support me in this journey of grief.

     And completing this brief exploration of grief, may I and all beings learn from and transform sorrow.

***May I and all beings learn from and transform sorrow.

 

Again, noticing whatever is arising for you, whatever thoughts are present, not clinging to them.

Whatever you’re feeling in your heart, how the body feels as you consider the possibility that grief can be a profoundly humanizing experience and bring greater depth into our lives.

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DAILY MEDITATION
 
Daring to Become Dependent
April 4 
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When someone gives us a watch but we never wear it, the watch is not really received. When someone offers us an idea but we do not respond to it, that idea is not truly received. When someone introduces us to a friend but we ignore him or her, that friend does not feel well received.

Receiving is an art. It means allowing the other to become part of our lives. It means daring to become dependent on the other. It asks for the inner freedom to say: "Without you, I wouldn't be who I am." Receiving with the heart is, therefore, a gesture of humility and love. So many people have been deeply hurt because their gifts were not well received. Let us be good receivers.
 
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Divinely Gia is a young person who guides us through some simple meditations as we release stress from our bodies. When I was first introduced to Gia I thought she would appeal more to the younger crowd but that is not the case. Her gentle voice guides us to a deep peace. Here is one meditation that aids us in being calm and centered. It’s worth checking it out, I think.

Here is her meditation on soothing relief for stress and anxiety

  

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I believe writing (journaling) is a good tool to help us in our grief.

 

DAILY MEDITATION
 
Writing, Opening a Deep Well
April 28
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Writing is not just jotting down ideas. Often we say: "I don't know what to write. I have no thoughts worth writing down." But much good writing emerges from the process of writing itself. As we simply sit down in front of a sheet of paper and start to express in words what is on our minds or in our hearts, new ideas emerge, ideas that can surprise us and lead us to inner places we hardly knew were there.

One of the most satisfying aspects of writing is that it can open in us deep wells of hidden treasures that are beautiful for us as well as for others to see.
 
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From friend and colleague Ashley Davis Bush, LICSW:

Mindful Grief: 3 Ways to Manage Your Sorrow

I have worked with grievers for 25 years and I know that a mindful attitude toward the process is tremendously important. I find that the following three mindful strategies help the griever navigate painful terrain.

If you or someone you know is grieving, use these guidelines:  Read on here>>>

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Amen!

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From our friend and colleague Karen Wyatt, MD:

 

Learn how meditation helps overcome the fear of death 
   
   
Just a quick email to let you know that I'm hosting a free webinar with Kelvin Chin on the benefits of meditation for overcoming the fear of death,
 
Title: Do Not Make These Meditation Mistakes
Date: Wednesday July 26, 2017
Time: 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern (and if you register you can get the replay and listen on your own time.)

Click this link to register: https://kwyattmd.lpages.co/chinwebinar/?mc_cid=c19df882d9&mc_eid=[UNIQID]
I've been using meditation for a number of years to help with stress reduction, focus, and deepening insight. And my recent EOLU guest, Joe DiNardo, shared how his meditation practice helped him cope with the stress of caring for his wife at the end of life and with his grief after her death. That's why I wanted to host Kelvin in this free session to spread the word about the benefits of meditation.
 
This LIVE event will include a Q&A session so you can get the information you need.
Looking forward to sharing this great information with you!
KarenKaren Wyatt MD, EOLUniversity.com
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DAILY MEDITATION 
 
Vulnerable, Like a Bird
January 3 
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Life is precious. Not because it is unchangeable, like a diamond, but because it is vulnerable, like a little bird. To love life means to love its vulnerability, asking for care, attention, guidance, and support. Life and death are connected by vulnerability. The newborn child and the dying elder both remind us of the preciousness of our lives. Let's not forget the preciousness and vulnerability of life during the times we are powerful, successful, and popular.
Henri Nouwen
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Great smile!

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I just love this Anne. Thank you for finding it. Patty and I find peace in the stars maybe it's because we know loved ones whom we have lost travel the Cosmos and take our hearts with them.

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Beautiful!  I shared it on FB.

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DAILY MEDITATION 
 
Becoming Kind
February 4 
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Kindness is a beautiful human attribute. When we say, "She is a kind person" or "He surely was kind to me," we express a very warm feeling. In our competitive and often violent world, kindness is not the most frequent response. But when we encounter it we know that we are blessed. Is it possible to grow in kindness, to become a kind person? Yes, but it requires discipline. To be kind means to treat another person as your "kin," your intimate relative. We say, "We are kin" or "He is next of kin." To be kind is to reach out to someone as being of "kindred" spirit.

Here is the great challenge: All people, whatever their color, religion, or sex, belong to humankind and are called to be kind to one another, treating one another as brothers and sisters. There is hardly a day in our lives in which we are not called to this.
Henri Nouwen
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I use this video as background music for my meditation hour.  View it in full screen and allow yourselves to relax to the beauty around the coral reef. Just be in the present moment and if you can't do the hour try 15 or 30 or 45 minutes.  

 

 

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Nothing worked for my depression -- until I tried meditation
By Keri Wiginton February 26

. . . This breakthrough was huge. I had been clinically depressed for more than 15 years. I thought this disorder would last forever. No one had ever suggested that I could change these thought patterns that made me worried and anxious . . .  Read on here >>>

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