WEEK 20
Meditation Practice
The only thing that’s changing in this week’s meditation practice is that we will be practising for a little longer on Sunday — pay attention to how those extra three minutes meditating make you feel as you learn to hold and expand your awareness for a little longer.
Monday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Tuesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Wednesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Thursday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Friday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Saturday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Sunday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 18 minutes Body Awareness + 5 minutes Loving-Kindness
Monday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Tuesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Wednesday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Thursday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Friday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Saturday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 15 minutes Body Awareness — Sitting of Strong Determination
Sunday — 5 minutes Breath Awareness + 18 minutes Body Awareness + 5 minutes Loving-Kindness
Mindful Living Practice — Practise Silence
We tend to devalue periods of stillness and silence but it is these moments of silence and solitude that allow us to move beyond our blind reactions and habitual ways of thinking and into the aliveness of the present moment — it is in these moments of deep silence, when we rest unshakeably with the way things are, that true strength appears.
This week, dedicate a couple of hours to being silent — to free yourself from the noise, to let go, to empty yourself of expectations and judgements so you can be open to whatever life brings you. Maybe you’ll spend an hour or two in silence before you head off to work, or commit to spending a random Thursday evening in silence and stillness instead of watching Netflix. Or maybe you’ll challenge the whole family to get involved and spend Sunday morning, up until noon, in total silence.
In most spiritual traditions, the practice of silence includes refraining from talking, reading, writing, watching TV, using phones and laptops, and any other kind of external distraction. The whole point is to sever connections with the outside world for a short period of time to explore your inner world — to become aware of your blind reactions, your conditioning, the prejudices that cloud your vision, your beliefs that hide you from reality, your habits and thoughts and cravings that create your suffering. And once you are aware of them, you can free yourself from them.
As you practise silence, pay attention to anything that you find uncomfortable, or any thoughts and emotions that arise — maybe you feel an intense desire to check your phone, or, all of a sudden, you’ve remembered you need to send that email and phone your friend and text your sister, or you feel like you really, really need to write a to-do list full of productive things you feel like you should be doing instead of sitting in silence. See if you can refrain from doing any them.
It’s natural to be afraid of silence because, when you are silent, you often meet parts of yourself that have not known love — the outcast pieces of your soul. But if you are brave enough to sit in silence and to plan moments of silence into your life, you will get to know every part of you — and only in knowing and accepting every part of you, will you feel whole.
This week, dedicate a couple of hours to being silent — to free yourself from the noise, to let go, to empty yourself of expectations and judgements so you can be open to whatever life brings you. Maybe you’ll spend an hour or two in silence before you head off to work, or commit to spending a random Thursday evening in silence and stillness instead of watching Netflix. Or maybe you’ll challenge the whole family to get involved and spend Sunday morning, up until noon, in total silence.
In most spiritual traditions, the practice of silence includes refraining from talking, reading, writing, watching TV, using phones and laptops, and any other kind of external distraction. The whole point is to sever connections with the outside world for a short period of time to explore your inner world — to become aware of your blind reactions, your conditioning, the prejudices that cloud your vision, your beliefs that hide you from reality, your habits and thoughts and cravings that create your suffering. And once you are aware of them, you can free yourself from them.
As you practise silence, pay attention to anything that you find uncomfortable, or any thoughts and emotions that arise — maybe you feel an intense desire to check your phone, or, all of a sudden, you’ve remembered you need to send that email and phone your friend and text your sister, or you feel like you really, really need to write a to-do list full of productive things you feel like you should be doing instead of sitting in silence. See if you can refrain from doing any them.
It’s natural to be afraid of silence because, when you are silent, you often meet parts of yourself that have not known love — the outcast pieces of your soul. But if you are brave enough to sit in silence and to plan moments of silence into your life, you will get to know every part of you — and only in knowing and accepting every part of you, will you feel whole.
If you can, see if you can keep up the mindful living practices from the last few weeks too. If you need a reminder, I’ve popped them below.
Week 1 -- Don’t Scratch the Itch
Week 2 — Non-Harm
Week 3 — Non-Stealing
Week 4 — Speak Only Kindness
Week 5 — Take a Break From Intoxicants
Week 6 — Conscious Relationships
Week 7 — R.A.I.N
Week 8 — Send Happiness
Week 9 — Let Someone Else Be Right
Week 10 — Wash Up
Week 11 — Play
Week 12 -- Practise the Pause
Week 13 — Practise Intentional Meandering
Week 14 — Take a Break From Social Media
Week 15 — Practise Urge Surfing
Week 16 — Practise C.O.A.L.
Week 17 — Practise Gratitude
Week 18 — Practise Thought Catching
Week 19 — Act On Every Impulse To Give
Week 1 -- Don’t Scratch the Itch
Week 2 — Non-Harm
Week 3 — Non-Stealing
Week 4 — Speak Only Kindness
Week 5 — Take a Break From Intoxicants
Week 6 — Conscious Relationships
Week 7 — R.A.I.N
Week 8 — Send Happiness
Week 9 — Let Someone Else Be Right
Week 10 — Wash Up
Week 11 — Play
Week 12 -- Practise the Pause
Week 13 — Practise Intentional Meandering
Week 14 — Take a Break From Social Media
Week 15 — Practise Urge Surfing
Week 16 — Practise C.O.A.L.
Week 17 — Practise Gratitude
Week 18 — Practise Thought Catching
Week 19 — Act On Every Impulse To Give