Tag Archives: spiritual practice

Using your Surroundings to Punctuate your Meditation Walk

Posted on August 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Photo of "A Fresh Start" trail signage at Hemlock Bluffs, Cary, NCA walk doesn’t stand on its own – all of the elements that are nearby can be used to punctuate your meditation, to give it a unique flavor that’s tied to a specific location.  I often take into account signage, boardwalks/bridges, intersecting paths/roads, stairs/switchbacks, etc. to add a unique focus or rhythm to a walk, or to shift to another segment of my walk (e.g., from release to silence, or from silence to gratitude).  I’ve used bridges to recite a special affirmation, stairs to focus on a key quality (e.g., peace, love, faith), and bridge crossings as a place to pause and set intention for the next segment of the walk.

Photo of "It All Flows Together" trail signage at Hemlock Bluffs, Cary, NCAt one of the local parks, Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary, NC, the trails had numbered signs that correlated to secret-decoder trail guides to learn more about plants and animals in the area.  When I first started walking there I used each numbered sign to kick off a gratitude as I walked the short Swift Creek Loop Trail for the 3rd lap (I used the 1st lap around for release and the 2nd lap around for silence) of my meditation walk.  With 14 signs along that trail, I embraced 14 different gratitudes to finish out my walk.

Photograph of "Room for me?" trail signage at Hemlock Bluffs, Cary, NCThen, earlier this year, these signs magically morphed from numbers (and the need for trail guides) to titles, pictures and descriptions as part of the signs themselves.  Sure, sure – one could easily keep with the same practice as before, but on closer look a new magic had been added.  Although the signs were still about the nearby plants and animals, they could just as easily be about oneself and one’s journey through life – sometimes with a “direct hit” and other times in a more metaphysically-speaking way.  Here’s a sampling of the sign titles (I kid you not!):

  • “A Fresh Start”
  • “A Different Landscape”
  • “A Race to the Top”
  • “Remnants of the Past”
  • “It All Flows Together”
  • “Life Abundant”
  • “Home, Safe Home”
  • “Tale of Two Habitats”
  • “Room for Me”

So, what started out as a simple, sign-based gratitude practice has now morphed into a more thoughtful, sign-based guided meditation – what do these mean in terms of my life?  I am both amazed and delighted by this shift.

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Posted in Meditation walking

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Kitchen-based awareness

Posted on July 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

Photo of a ripe banana on a blue checkered table clothI can’t say that I spend a lot of time cooking, but I can say that I spend a lot time making sure that our pantry and fridge are filled with healthful choices.  For me, I often eat foods just as they are (e.g., slices of apples and yogurt for breakfast) or I throw together several ingredients that go well together – what I call “assemblies.”  I’m even one of those who puts together my food bag for a day at work (morning snack, light lunch, afternoon snack) because I want to eat healthy, tasty foods.  And more importantly, since I usually eat somewhat mindlessly at my desk (since I use my actual lunch hour for walking or errands) I interject my mindfulness the night before as part of what I pack and how I pack it.  Thus, I mindlessly eat my mindfully packed foods.

picture of a compost bin sitting next to a fenced in gardenIn the kitchen, I’ve come to realize that eating healthy means buying fresh veggies and fruits (usually seasonal and local); and, in doing so I then have a relationship with them (checking ripeness, eating while fresh) and an amazing mindfulness practice in its own right.  I cannot count the number of times that I have gone “unconscious” in the past – forgetting about the fruit ripening on the counter or the veggies stored in the crisper drawer in the fridge – only to “awaken” several days later to over-ripe bananas and too-dead-to-use broccoli.  Last month I bought a compost bin to help alleviate some of the guilt of wasted produce.  Knowing that my discards now transition back into the circle-of-life has on the one hand eased my regrets whenever I lose my stream of consciousness, and on the other hand increased my level of consciousness so that this rarely happens.  And, I don’t even have a garden – yet!

What ways have you found to become more conscious of your food, your cooking, your eating?

Thanks to Graham Reznick “aphasia films” (Flickr) for the banana photo; and, thanks to Richard Tanswell “richiesoft” for the compost bin photo.

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Posted in Everyday spiritual practices

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Energy Clogs

Posted on June 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

Photo of an old bridge and a "Danger Keep Out" signI’ve always felt that if we take something IN with great passion (e.g., listening to classical music) that we also need to express OUT similarly so as to not clog our energy.  And that any given IN-OUT flow needs to be inherently related/connected.  So while I might admire a person who eats out at eclectic restaurants, I find the person who is a full-fledged foodie with a passion for both savoring (IN) and cooking (OUT) great food to embody the wholeness of it all.  Same thing for a person who watches sports (IN) and runs 10k races (OUT); or, a person who goes to outdoor concerts (IN) and plays the piano (OUT).  Obviously the IN is easier, more passive; and, the OUT takes more time, energy and discipline.  So, many of us merely take IN, and stop the flow at the mid-way point.

Of late, I’ve been taking stock of the many facets of my life where I’m heavy on the INs and light on the OUTs and have made commitments to unclog through greater expression.

  • My IN of watching cooking shows and eating healthful foods needs to be balanced with an OUT of cooking several new recipes each month.
  • My IN of enjoying art exhibits needs to be balanced with an OUT of fabric arts (jewelry) and photography.
  • My IN of reading books and magazines needs to be balanced with an OUT of journaling and creative writing.

Where are your energy clogs?

Thanks to Simon Webster “shaggy 359” (Flickr) for the Danger Keep Out photo.

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Posted in Let me say THIS about THAT

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Ending Each and Every Day with Gratitude …

Posted on June 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Every day, no matter how seemingly-good or seemingly-bad the events of the day, I choose to write down three gratitudes.  I pull a small journal out of the night-stand as I climb into bed, quiet my mind to contemplate the all (All) of the day, then scribble down that for which I am grateful.

I am grateful for – Pineapple and jalapeno pizza; My auto mechanic (his integrity and great customer service); My cats who are so loving and joyful just by being – and, having fun with catnip bubbles

Most days three gratitudes are easy to come by and relate directly to the day at hand; but, there are always those “oh please, don’t let me have to repeat this one” days where I need to sink down and pull out the nugget of good from among the proverbial thorns.  And, in digging for the nuggets, I also start to see differently – finding deeper, richer meanings in seemingly noxious situations.  From this vantage point of gratitude and grace and thanks, I close out my day; and, enter into dreamy sleep filled with contentment, calm and feeling blessed.

I am grateful for – A slow-paced, sleep-late, kairos time day; A beautiful meditation walk at (the church of) Umstead State Park; Mr. Mike’s used books – the search, the find, the read

And, it’s the writing that holds the power, not the reading.  I rarely “circle back around” to old entries and reread the essence of days gone by.  Occasionally, I’ll pick up an old gratitude journal and flip through the pages – landing on any given day merely reminds me of my way-back-when life.

I am grateful for – B & D returning safely from their vacation travels; Finding a new hair stylist with better services and prices; The amazing greenways throughout Cary and Raleigh

Simple practice, amazing energy, powerful results.

Thanks to klhug, Kate Wares, and Julie Jordan Scott (Flickr), respectively,  for the gratitude graphics.

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Posted in Everyday spiritual practices

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