A Generosity of Spirit

by Dean Solon

Gentleness with self opens to and reveals a wonderful “secret” teaching: you are perfectly all right as you are

You are perfectly all right as you are.

This gentleness and generosity with yourself unfolds to a feeling and to a sharing of light and warmth, of compassion and lovingkindness, with other living beings.

And so your perception of life and of the world begins to change and to expand…and so the world changes, too.

Sitting…in this moment…in this present and precious moment.

The concoction and connection is already residing inside you.

The concoction and connection is already and always breathing, already and always living, inside you…

waiting to be released,

waiting to be revealed,

waiting to be shared freely.

Dean Solon leads meditation groups on Monday mornings and Thursday evenings at the Resiliency Center.  He has been practicing for over 45 years and facilitating meditation groups since 2003.  He encourages a personal, gentle, non-rigid approach to mindfulness-and- heartfulness meditation.

Beginning a Meditation Practice Over the Holidays

by Catherine McLaughlin and Jen Perry

The holidays are a special time of year. Extra time with family and friends, invitations to parties and events, giving and receiving gifts, all that delicious food - but adding all the “extras” of the holidays to an already busy life can leave us feeling anxious and stressed. Here’s how meditation can help:

When we’re stressed, our brain’s amygdala is triggered. The amygdala houses the “fight or flight” response and is responsible for feelings of fear and anxiety. Research shows that a regular meditation practice decreases the size of the amygdala, and strengthens areas of the brain responsible for self-regulation, cognitive flexibility, planning, problem solving, emotion regulation, learning, memory, and may help to stave off depression and PTSD symptoms. So all the stress and anxiety from too much wrapping, traveling, seeing relatives, and partying can be managed through meditation.

But where should you start? Here are a few steps for beginning a meditation practice:

1. Start slow. Set your alarm for 10 minutes earlier and build meditation into your morning routine. You’ll know when it is time to increase your meditation time.

2. Be flexible. If something unexpected happens one morning and you can’t meditate, find another time during the day. Over your lunch break at work, in your car in the grocery store parking lot, before bed - any time you can squeeze in 10+ minutes of quiet.

3. Focus on the breath. When you sit quietly for the first time, you will probably notice how noisy your thoughts are. That’s okay! Notice them, like a train moving through a station or clouds floating by in the sky. The thoughts will move along, and you will return to your breath.

4. Stick with it! Sitting still with our thoughts is not easy. It may take a couple of tries to feel comfortable.

With everything going on, it may sound strange to add one more thing - but really, what’s one more line on your to-do list? And when it’s something proven to manage stress and anxiety, it may just be the perfect time to begin a meditation practice.

For more information on Catherine McLaughlin, call 267-800-5073 or visit www.cmjcounseling.com.  For more information on Jen Perry, call 215-292-5056 or visit www.heartfulnesscounseling.com. 

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Articles on Meditation:

Things to Know about Meditation at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/21/things-to-know-meditation_n_6709864.html

A Productive Life: Meditation Guide at http://alifeofproductivity.com/meditation-guide/

How the Brain Changes when you Meditate at http://www.mindful.org/how-the-brain-changes-when-you-meditate/

What We Sat With Yesterday Morning At The Resiliency Center, Before The Bombing by Dean Solon

sitting comfortably and with ease.
closing your eyes, gently and lightly, allowing the body to be at rest and the breathing to be natural.
your body at rest and your breathing natural.
so we are here, now.  so you are here, now.

awaking to a day, to another day, to this day, on planet earth.
to another day, on planet earth, with an experiencing of familiarity, with an experiencing of mystery.
with an experiencing of not-knowing what is coming, next;
of not-knowing what is about to be.

a sitting, this morning, this moment, of openness.
of opening.  pure and easy.

sitting...
residing in the center of the mayhem of this world---residing in the center of you---
is peace.
residing in the center of the madness---residing in the center of you---
is sanity.
residing in the heart of darkness---residing in the heart of you---
is light.
residing in the center of the commotion and the roar of the crowd---residing in the center of you---
is silence.
residing in the heart of the disconnecting from all that is---residing in the heart of you---
is connection, is compassion, with all that is.

a light in the chest.
a light in the heart.
a light in the head,
your mind, your third eye.

in any moment...light
in this moment...light
in this moment...light