Hello dear friends.
So many of your faces roll across my mind as I gaze out towards the magnificent Sandia Mountains of central New Mexico and I smile broadly to each of you.
I notice right now the sky is blue,
My daffodils are blooming,
The birds are singing,
And I discipline my mind to notice and give thanks for these things.
Simple respites from the extreme suffering that the world faces.
And as I wrote this last sentence that I'm reading to you now,
Tears formed and grief entered my consciousness.
Breathing in,
Aware of the suffering that is in me and that is also in you and in the world.
Breathing out,
Sending whatever peace and solidity I have to each of you.
Times like these will surely bring out the best and the worst in human behavior.
And we want to cling to that which is good,
To the best of our ability,
Especially now.
So how do we cling to that which is wholesome?
Wholesome meaning good for you,
Good for me,
Sustainable.
How do we hold on to that right now?
The Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley brought forward six questions to ask ourselves every day.
Allow me to share these questions with you and they will form the basis of our meditation time together today.
First question,
What am I grateful for?
I recommend that you use this question as a form of concentration in meditation,
That you dedicate a few intentional minutes to noticing and saying out loud what you are thankful for.
For me today,
I'm grateful for you and the daffodil and the birds singing,
The blue sky and the people I love.
Now I'm going to ask that question of you and I'm going to remain silent for a couple minutes for you to go inside and ask yourself that question right now.
What am I grateful for?
I'm grateful for my dog barking in the background.
What are you grateful for right now?
My daughter asking my daughter to go outside.
She's barking in the background.
What are you grateful for right now?
My daughter asking my daughter to go outside.
What are you grateful for right now?
As the mind wanders,
Pull it back.
What am I grateful for today?
Question two,
Who am I connecting with and checking in on today?
For me it's Lauren,
Bob,
My uncle Jay,
My mom,
Eric,
Sean,
Jason,
Joe,
Chu,
Maya,
Chris,
Of course my wife Lisa,
Barak,
Jordan,
Larissa,
Jeff and Michelle.
I'm checking in on them today.
Who are you checking in with today?
I would like you to think deeply about people who would so appreciate a note from you or a text or a phone call or a video chat,
FaceTime.
Think about it.
Who are you going to check in with today?
Question three,
What expectations of normal am I letting go of today?
Remember dear friends,
So much of spirituality is about letting go and relaxing into.
It's not so much about what we get,
But what we're able to let go of.
What are you letting go of today?
Question four,
How am I getting outside today?
Well I'm going to mindfully walk in my backyard,
Listen to those birds I mentioned,
Stop and smell the daffodils.
How are you going to get outside today?
Obviously keeping social distance,
Obviously some space,
But it's so important to take in fresh air and sunshine in any way and every way we can.
Nature is a great healer,
Always wanting to support and nurture us.
How are you getting outside today?
The fifth question,
How am I moving my body today?
That's an easy one for me,
It's Tai Chi.
It might be walking your dog,
It might be exercising in your house,
It might be just moving around stretching.
But activity moving the body,
Such an important part of really good mental hygiene.
How are you going to move your body today?
And the last question,
What beauty am I either creating,
Cultivating,
Or inviting in today?
Well for me,
It's the body.
It's the body.
It's the body.
It's the body.
What beauty am I either creating,
Cultivating,
Or inviting in today?
Well for me,
This recording is one of those things.
What's it going to be for you today?
Let's conclude with moving the object of our meditation to the great connector,
The breath.
The breath is such a beautiful medium to connect body,
Mind,
Our core of our beating.
Breathing in,
I know that I'm breathing in,
Breathing out,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
I know that I'm breathing in,
Breathing out,
I smile.
Breathing in,
I know I'm breathing in,
Breathing out,
I smile.
Thank you.
