Mind ~ Body ~ Spirit

TUESDAY MORNING MEDITATIONS!
We start our week with a guided meditation.

Tuesday morning at 10 am

Each 1st and 3rd Tuesday evening at 7.

AND NOW WE CLOSE THE WEEK WITH A FRIDAY MORNING MEDITATION.

Join us for a guided meditation on Friday morning at 10. Prepare for the weekend and release the energy that does not serve us.

There's no need to register, we sometimes number 18 or 20 and we've lots of room. You can sit on the floor or a chair, we sip green tea afterward and it's a gentle, non-judgemental experience. Drop in is $5, but you are welcome to purchase a Calm Card for $25 which gives you 6 meditations for the price of 5 (one for free) and we stamp it each time you come. See you soon in circle.

Regular Offerings at The Dojo

At The Dojo, we offer regular meditation gatherings on Tuesdays and Fridays. Allow Robert’s gentle, calming tone to help you re-member your natural state. Each meditation focuses first on breathing, connecting to our core and balancing our chakras. From this relaxed state, we can journey together to find inner peace.

Regular practice in a group can create confidence and help us to form a space in our personal life for meditation.

If you would like a more focused approach, you can take a meditation study, which allows an extended practice, with exercises between classes. “There’s No Way I Can Meditate…The Class” dispels all the misconceptions about meditation and gives you concrete exercises to practice between study nights. With an extended time frame of 21 days, regular practice can re-mind us of our natural state, and create a desire to return to inner peace daily.

Some thoughts on meditation from The Dojo....

Perfect world exists in each moment

Our lives whirl by while we ask how to slow down. We try in vain to create a space of peace only to see that we can’t stop our minds from reeling, or our calendars from filling up; the phone rings, the world awaits and we climb aboard the ever spinning merry go round, longing secretly to find twenty minutes to gather our thoughts and calm our minds. We wonder how to change this without losing the lifestyle we have created.

In a perfect world, we could find 30 uninterrupted minutes of serenity in our quiet space to devote to a meditation practice. It is difficult to find that much time to dedicate to a quiet meditation.

The good news is, we don’t have to have 30 minutes. We can find our balance and gain a new perspective in just a few moments. We know that stress is an internal reaction to an external source. We can change our reaction to any stressor by taking a breath and using our daily actions to focus our attention.

Use the ‘me’ time you already have

Take advantage of the times throughout the day that you already have a moment to yourself. Recognize that there are moments when you already achieve some level of mindfulness…when you’re walking the dog, talking a bath or stopped at a red light. When you become aware of this practice you can use it with purpose.

When you make this a part of your routine, your body will start to anticipate your meditation. Then every time you grab the dog’s leash or the light turns red, you will start to relax.

Focus on the Journey, not the destination

When we’re walking, instead of focusing on what we need to do when we get where we’re going, focus on the process of getting there. Feel the rhythmic movement of your legs as they carry you, notice the way your feet touch the ground.

Pay attention to how your body feels with each step.

This can be done at any pace. Just focus your thoughts on your body’s natural movement and feel the sensations as a meditation. You will arrive at your destination feeling calm and centered.

Do one thing and savour it in the moment

Can you remember the last time you sat down to eat a meal and you didn’t have a magazine in front of you? Or the last time you did housework without the TV or radio on in the background? Most people rarely take time to be present and mindful of what they are doing.

When you drink a cup of tea, feel the cup and the warmth of that experience. Folding laundry, washing dishes, weeding the garden and eating are perfect examples of meditative activities that keep us in the moment.

“Washing the dishes is at the same time a means and an end – that is, not only do we do the dishes in order to have clean dishes, we also do the dishes just to do the dishes, to live fully in each moment while washing them.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh Peace is Every Step.

Using our breath

Achieving mindfulness can be difficult when you’re irritated, which is probably when you most need it. If you’re waiting in a long line at the grocery store or your boss is driving you crazy, use your most intimate tool.

“I breathe in, I calm my body.
I breathe out, I smile.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Use this simple breath awareness technique to remind yourself that we are not required to let the stress ‘get to us.” Become aware of the stress and breathe through it. Knowing what you are feeling can give you more of a choice.

Practice with ordinary activities

Tie mindfulness with some activity that you do all the time, but never think about. For example, every time you open a car door, you can take a deep breath and focus on feeling it flow through your body. Whenever you go to pick up an incoming phone call, pause for a minute and feel your perceived urgency to answer.

We can value the moments that are ordinary and change them into extraordinary by being in the present moment with each of them.

Being mindful every day

Even if you don’t have time to meditate every day, you can still improve your mindfulness in everyday life.

However you decide to incorporate these simple techniques into your life, if you want to get the benefits, regular use is the best way. As with any skill, practice brings improvement. The more you do it, the better able you are to cope with the frustrations and limitations of this world.