If it is available to you, raising your shoulders to the ears and releasing; repeat, then doing a few shoulder rolls with awareness...Thank You
It’s easier being in each other’s presence, or in each other’s absence than in the constant presence of each other’s absence. Gianpiero Petriglieri
As I spend more and more time online in meetings, workshops, and classes, I am suffering from zoomitis, a.k.a., zoom exhaustion syndrome. Still, I appreciate seeing that is showing up to practice together. Staying connected even virtually, is rewarding, affirming and worth it.
A few things have come up lately in my sessions. Many are having a hard time noticing too much anxiety, depressed mood, &/or fear, which is understandable. At the same time, others are practicing being with negative emotions and thoughts. Noticing that by holding space for unpleasant feelings, they are less impacted and less distressed than when being caught up in them or resisting or denying them.
This is not to say that everyone should be with their difficult experiences that are happening now - these are unprecedented times. The point is that we are all handed this present moment. We can fight or get depressed about it, or we can meet the truth of the moment and live from there. With basic sanity, we can see that we do have some choice in whether we get hung up in fear or wanting things to be different or we can, with wise discernment, exercise self-care. We can choose how long we stay with our experience. Or we can skillfully distract from the present moment, take a break, connect with others (keeping distance) or do other activities that are mood-elevating. In fact, just knowing that we do have choice is in and of itself anxiety-reducing.
With so much happening is constantly changing and with so much information and misinformation, I have simplified my practice to help me stay attentive to what I am feeling to respond appropriately and compassionately. I begin by asking myself, 'what's here now?' Followed by, 'what's called for now?' And then I proceed to ‘letting be,’ ‘letting go’ &/or letting grow’ To explain:
Letting be – is mindfulness - the being with experience as it is moment to moment, particularly the unpleasant. By putting awareness on the undesirable, and not resisting or becoming defensive, in time, the mind will realize that it is not in danger and will relax. This easing causes a decoupling from the experience which diffuses its energy and allows things to effectively play out on their own, as the natural intelligence of the mind finds the least-stressful way of relating to whatever is arising, whether in body, heart, or mind. This requires a radical self-honesty that without which allows denial or spiritual bypassing to crop up, or practice becomes fantasy.
Letting go - intentionally dropping what is not supportive. To know what that is requires effort and investigation. The right amount of effort and investigation is like holding a bird in the hands - too tight and it is injured, too loose, it flies away. Or like riding a horse - sitting too tight in the saddle becomes tiring and uncomfortable, too loose and you fall off. This calls for balancing relaxation and alertness, without which practice becomes indulgent daydreaming - something that is learned over time, by hours in the saddle.
Letting grow – cultivating positive qualities and states, using the well-known heart practice, such as Loving Kindness, self-compassion, gratitude, forgiveness. These practices are done to purposely grow the positive and avoid marinating in the negative.
To summarize, in my formal meditation practice and in everyday moments, I can let be with straight-up mindfulness, let go of what doesn’t serve me in this moment, &/or let grow by cultivating the good. A final point, acceptance and a nonjudgmental attitude are key because, without these, practice can feel aloof, insensitive or worse, become manipulative.
But please know these are pointers and suggestions that I find useful for me—they may not be relevant to you. I suggest and support that you trust yourself to know what practice, when and for how long to practice, or whether to practice at all. From teaching MBSR for all these years, the key guiding principle of teaching mindfulness for me is empowerment, not enabling. I have come to know that each person, as Steve Hickman of UCSD Center for Mindfulness, says, “possesses within them the fundamental capacity to see and respond to what they need in a moment of suffering. They may have forgotten that capacity, believed it to be lost or destroyed by trauma, they may doubt their own resiliency and believe that they need others to lead them, but we know better. We know that deep within each human being is great strength and the seeds of mindfulness and compassion, however un-watered or neglected.”
As such, whenever necessary ask yourself, what is called for right now? What do I need in this moment? What is most important for me to do or not do? But don’t look for an answer. Here again, trust yourself, and trust that your inner wisdom, intuition, and experience will always guide and serve you well…
Finally, if you are having trouble practicing – no time, too stressed, too many distractions and no quiet place, remember, there is no ideal time or place to practice. Still, no one can keep you from doing it...but no one can do it for you! So, do what you can and don’t worry if it is flawesome or awesome - whenever & whatever you choose to do will be good enough!
May you find rest in your fear.
May you find rest in your mental distress.
May you find rest in your physical distress.
May you find rest and be at ease.
Here are the online offerings by our So Fla mindfulness teachers that I am aware of. We are here to support you through these unsettling times:
MULTI-WEEK ONLINE COURSES:
**just announced! Gus Castellanos MBSR Thursdays, May 7 - June 25, 6-8:30pm with UM Osher Center For Integrative Medicine. Free orientation Apr 30, 6-7pm LINK to register HERE
Valerie York-Zimmerman MBSR Thursdays, 6-8:3-pm, April 9 — May 28. Orientation, Thurs., April 2, 6:00 — 8:00 pm. REGISTER valerie@miamimindfulness.com. Link HERE
Sharon Theroux Mindful Self Compassion Tuesdays, Apr 14 - June 2. FREE ORIENTATION on Tues, 4/7, 12:00 - 2:45 pm LINK HERE
Sharon Theroux MBSR Wednesdays, APR 8 - May 27, 12:00 to 2:30 p.m Link HERE
Gwendolyn J Schanda - MindPowered Kids - online course for kids and their parents on meditation and mind superpowers Link HERE
DROP-IN, DAILY & WEEKLY ONLINE OFFERINGS
I am part of the newly formed group, Inner Space of Kindness that is providing FREE daily virtual mindfulness sessions. My classes are on Thursdays, 4/9 - 4/30 at 1pm. Other teachers include Debra Annane, Knellee Bisram, Mary Beth Stern, Janet Slom, Aimee Bernstein, Juan Reyes, Mary Martin, and Peter Calin. Meditations are daily at the following times below. Click on the link to access Zoom directly per recurring day/time offering:
Monday - Friday, 7:00AM on Zoom
Monday - Friday, 1:00PM on Zoom
Monday - Friday, 7:30PM on Zoom
Saturday and Sunday, 9AM on Zoom
Saturday and Sunday, 2PM on Zoom
I am leading free drop-in sessions with Mindful Kids Miami, Tuesdays 11am-noon. Free, but registration is required - LINK HERE
Mindful Kids Miami also offers Online ZOOM Support Mindfulness Calls listed by date, teacher and intention for each session. Link HERE for all of these classes
Debbie Steinberg - Judaism and Mindfulness. Mondays at 3:00 pm. Open to all and any religious orientation, both beginners and experienced mindfulness practitioners. Join Link HERE or (872) 240-3212 Access Code: 610-664-245#.
Cindy Ricardo - Mindfulness Meditation Circles
*Wednesdays 6:05-7:35pm - Zoom link here
*Sundays 11am-12:30pm EST - Zoom link here
Lunch time Meditation
*Thursdays 12:00pm - 1:15pm EST - Zoom link here
These offerings are by free/ by donation (suggested $10+). To donate link here
South Florida Center For Mindfulness with Sharon Theroux And Piero Falci
Thursday, 6- 7:00 pm & Tuesday, 12-1:00pm ZOOM LINK HERE Meeting ID: 591 231 9426
Mary Beth Stern – Tuesdays 10-11 and Saturdays 10am-11am. Contact mbfstern@gmail.com for zoom links
Delia Calixto – Fridays 4pm Join Zoom Meeting Here Meeting ID: 859 836 1987
Carolyn Sant Angelo and Scott May - Thursdays 6-7pm "Mindfulness for Today's World". No registration needed. Free. Zoom Link HERE
Gary Gonzalez
*Tuesdays 7:00 to 8:30PM every Zoom Link HERE
*Saturdays, 8:30-9:30am Zoom Link HERE
Ivanna Casado Mindfulness sessions Fridays,noon Zoom LINK HERE & Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Communication Master class – schedule link here
Calcagnini Center for Mindfulness - complimentary daily online meditation and yoga classes beginning April 1. Registration is required link HERE A link will be emailed to each class participant one hour before the classes begin
Jill Merrell / Merrell Family Foundation offers complimentary Social Connection and Meditation Wednesdays, Noon-12:20pm. Zoom Link HERE Meeting ID: 496 908 923
Amy Exum, LMHC and Eli Bravo with Baptist Health - Virtual Daily Meditation and Tips for Emotional Well-Being:
Mondays, 9 a.m. LINK HERE
Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. LINK HERE
Wednesdays, 3 p.m. Meditación y Bienestar Emocional (en Español) LINK HERE
Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. LINK HERE
Fridays, 9 a.m. LINK HERE
This pandemic is not just revealing our connectedness, it also shows that our health and wellbeing cannot be separated from the health and wellbeing of others. Therefore, take good care of yourself, your family and those around you, knowing that what you do for you, you do for them and what you do for them, you do for you.
You may not be able to do much about the great problems of the world or to change the situation you are in, but if you can awaken the eternal beauty and light of your soul, you will bring light wherever you go. The gift of life is given to us for ourselves and also to bring peace, courage, and compassion to others. John O'Donohue
