An 8 Week Long Book Review : Week 3 – Mindfulness Starts Here
Confession for this week : The book may be titled ‘Mindfulness Starts Here’, but I wasn’t very mindful when I mistakenly started reading the chapter ahead instead of the one for week three. Ahem. Offering some gentleness to my gaffe and letting go.
This week, week number THREE of the book review in action brings me to a chapter titled ‘Awareness of the Body’, so I don’t feel so bad about it not being a chapter on being mindful of what chapter one is on. The intention for this chapter as stated by the authors is to bring awareness back to the body.
With the Body Scan that was introduced in earlier chapters, I’m noticing my body more than ever and credit the chill of Fall for helping me to be even more aware to ancient pains re-emerging. My funky, busted up ankle had been howling all weekend and a past toe injury became a screaming voice in my head while scanning my foot. All these sensations not tuned into during the run of a day.
This chapter reminds me gently ‘Perhaps you’re living in your head little one.’
Another theme that emerged from the readings this week was that of the body’s limitations and how it is deteriorating - daily, with every minute that passes. The need for gentleness in recognizing and resting with this reality is expressed and was comforting.
Why resist?
This chapter really gave me a lot to reflect upon when it comes to the SR (Stress Reduction) aspect of MBSR as the book cites how much stress, wear and tear we put our bodies through. We allow ourselves to carry and hold so much. We put ourselves through so much.
What can we rely upon to help us? Breathing and mindfulness.
At this point in the book and the practice program, breath work is a large part of what is practiced daily, however it’s now that mention to the remaining awareness work is introduced, namely the cultivation of 5 Skillful Habits. The authors cite the 5 Precepts found within Buddhism as a basis for the 5 Skillful Habits they are introducing within “Mindfulness Starts Here” and roll their own version for the MBSR program they have developed.
As a hunchback, 9-5 pixel shifter with multiple body twerks, this chapter is both comforting in helping me to work with accepting my multiple broken spots, but also encourages me to discover a gentle body-work practice and it is some coincidence that I was speaking with my neighbor last week about Tai Chi classes in the neighborhood.
Tai Chi vs Qi Gong vs Gentle Yoga - What’s your vote?
Random Linkage: Gateless Gate T, Invocatio, Berni’s Journey & Joseph Goldstein in Montreal
A few items that hit my synapses and made them say ho - hey, wassat?
- The Gateless Gate’s latest shirt is fab. Get yourself over here if you want one on your chest.
- Do you ever have one of those moments when you know someone from the online realm of Twitter but not aware that they are a FREAKING AWESOME BLOGGER? Well thanks to the power of technology (and her mentioning my blog on her blog), here’s Invocatio. Religion. Esotericism. Magic. Freakery. You’ll find it here… and now I have a buncha old blog posts to pour through.
- Check out this trailer for Berni’s Journey in Wanderland, and check out Berni’s blog if you are interested in her journey. Oh I sympathize about the recovering perfectionist writing on this blog. Oh do I ever.
- Joseph Goldstein will be speaking in Montreal on March 14 and 15, 2014. Sign me up and thanks True North Insight for making this happen.
If you have anything you want to share, drop me a line. If you have a blog and I’m not following you (see the blogroll), then send me a link.
Totally random but I just love this gif.
Rad Mudra Bro
An 8 Week Long Book Review : Week 2 - Mindfulness Starts Here
I just finished my first week with ‘Mindfulness Starts Here: An Eight Week Guide to Skillful Living‘ and am reacquainting myself with the power of the Body Scan. Dear Reader. I don’t want you to think that’s all I’ve been obsessing with all this time, but in my case, it has been the most profound of all of the practices that I’ve been personally engaging with during my first week of this Mindfulness Based Stress Relief (MBSR) program within the pages of this book.
I have to admit that I was a bit resistant to the body scan and in Chapter Two that I’m currently starting to work with, there is mention to the obstacles that folks encounter in their experience of mindfulness training. My main obstacle has been grief mixed with guilt and silliness (yeah strange mix I know) when doing these body scans as it takes me back to memories of a dear friend and teacher who used the body scan technique as part of a program I helped co-facilitate with him. The attendees in the class LOVED J’s body scan work and found it so soothing however I was focused on being an arsehole. Unintentionally.
You see. During the body scan, J would really give a deep scan. I mean we were scanning tissues, muscles and sinew and well.. he led us to focus our attention on our anus and to loosen it and that did it for me. My infantile giggle mind took over and I was left with my body scanner on the fritz while the rest of my body tried to stifle laughter from the others who were much more adult in their body scan work than me.
So I’m left with this legacy of grief for missing my old friend, guilt at laughing at hearing his voice telling us to relax our ass muscles and shame at being a big doo-doo idiot for laughing at the idea of relaxing my ass muscles to begin with. Body scans are now tinged with that perspective and here’s hoping that after this book and scanning myself for the full eight weeks, I’ll be able to break the tendency to hear a laugh track behind any soothing voice encouraging me to do this kind of guided meditation. Please don’t send me mp3′s punking me with soothing pan flute music only to mention ass muscles.
But I digress. Week two is upon me and yes, more body scanning. This chapter gets into the obstacles behind the practice so it was essential given my, ahem, blockage. Some of my old old friends appear in this chapter too. Lack of time. Doubts about the practice. Oh I know you well.
This chapter titled ‘Meeting the Difficult and Unwanted’ really resonated with the negative self concepts that can emerge about when one starts to see the chatter of the monkey mind. It’s amazing how hard we can be when we are engaging in working with our minds. This was a gentle chapter that helped me feel like less of a doofus. Well, a bit less 
I have several lifetimes of doofusness to work through
One item that stuck with me from this chapter was the mention that the body scan isn’t intended to make one feel better. It’s more about getting in touch with what’s going on and to help bring awareness to our experience. Letting go of the experience of giggling of over a relaxed butt. Letting go of missing a dear friend and teacher. Letting go of feeling like a jerk for laughing about this in the first place.
So this week it’s back to more body scanning and this time with an intention to apply a bit more gentleness to the practice and be with what comes up.
Random Linkage: Prison Yoga & Meditation in Canada, Capitalist Dharma, Talk about Nothing
- Prison yoga, meditation classes to expand across Canada via WildMind.org and see how you can volunteer with ‘Freeing the Mind’ here
- Capitalist Dharma and the Social Ecology of Buddhist Sanghas via the important Buddhist Peace Fellowship
- A little video interview to get you going. Bill Viola and Ponlop Rinpoche Talk About Nothing
An 8 Week Long Book Review : Week 1 - Mindfulness Starts Here
As recently mentioned, I’m currently reading ‘Mindfulness Starts Here’ by Lynette Monteiro and Frank Musten but rather than do a regular old, one off review of this book, I’d rather LIVE IT OUT! You heard me right. I’m going to be a guinea pig for the 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program as described in their book.
So I picked up the book from my pile yesterday and dug right in. With a foreword by notable Buddhist teacher, Zen priest and author Joan Halifax Roshi we’re already off to a good start already here folks. The authors are therapists and meditation teachers so they are grounded in their work in helping individuals sort through and heal from their suffering. They’re in the trenches and doing the work.
The book’s introduction delivers a taste of the book’s tone which has a poetic flavour about it. Snippets of poems run throughout and serve as accents to the material covered in each section. My first observation is that it is a very friendly piece of writing that offers guidance to readers in a way that is clear and easy to read and rather than getting caught up in extolling the scientific virtues of mindfulness practice, it gets right to the point as to how it helps individuals work with physical and mental pain and suffering.
The concept of mindfulness is explored in the introduction and each of the authors provide their story on how they came to mindfulness practice which are not unlike the many patients that seek out this program for their own needs. The main points of each chapter are alluded to in the introduction and the authors reference that there are practices involved so that each week builds upon the techniques from the previous week.
So I dove in. Week One started last night. Chapter One delivers teachings on how we can get off track from our true, pristine nature yet have the capacity to return with a little bit of effort and energy. Becoming mindful. Aware. Present. Several practices are encouraged for this week that relate to analytical meditation and getting back to understanding oneself.
The end of each chapter features a practice sheet which is used to track the suggestions posed by the authors to help readers connect, reconnect and be mindful. As part of ‘my homework’, I did a body scan last night and realized that it had been a LONG time since I did this practice. Allergy-clouded head. Asthmatic lungs. Numb foot. Numb arse. Breathing. Breathing. Come back to the breathing. Blocked nose. Breathe.
It was very helpful and reminded me that I need to scan myself more often. Is it just me or does anyone else visualize this when they do a body scan?
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Verdict - Week One. Day One… So far so good.
Montreal Dharma Punx - Take Two
A long, long time ago I was involved in some discussions to get a local Dharma Punx group together in Montreal. It happened and I became a bit more focused in a different sangha so I was a bit on the periphery of the group. Every once in a while, someone would Google ‘Montreal Dharma Punx’ and this old blog would pop up for them, they’d email me, I’d direct them to the organizer and life went on.
At the gentle nudging of Dharma Punx Godfather Josh Korda who mentioned to me in passing that a Montreal group may be a good idea to get going, I’m looking to reincarnate the previous group, add some new folks to the mix and start up a peer-led sitting group.
Q. Why?
A. Well. I’m into punk rock and I’m Buddhist. Natural fit right. I also want to see a community develop. I want folks to connect. I want to offer up a space for folks to breathe. I want to help.
Q. Will you be teaching?
A. Nope. This is peer-led sitting. I am currently training to be a practice instructor with Nalandabodhi which has its own curriculum for teachers so I’m really just looking to get together on the cushion with folks who like to sit or want to learn how to meditate or who are interested in perhaps taking the Dharma Punx/Against the Stream teacher training and then themselves facilitating the group and providing teachings in the future. That would be rad.
Q. What else can we do together?
A. We can hang out. We can do a book study of some of Noah’s books. We can talk. Bring a demo of your band to play for the group. If you want a Montreal Dharma Punx sangha, let’s work together to build it.
So if you’re interested or have any questions, get in touch. There’s a website with a contact page as well as a Facebook group. Time and space are still to be confirmed but I do have a lovely little yoga studio that will have us as well as a meditation center to check in with.
