Monday, March 2, we will meet online.
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Dear Thay, dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, March 2, from 7-8:30PM ET online; Wednesday morning, March 4, from 7-8AM ET in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Thursday morning, March 5, from 7-8AM ET online; and Friday, March 6, 12-1PM ET online.
On Monday night, Marie will facilitate. She shares:
When it comes to my body, I have a habit energy of attending to the squeaky wheel - the part that is causing me pain and/or not working as I want it to. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with a radically different approach that Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) describes as practicing with the “non-toothache.” This is what I do:
I generate the energy of mindfulness and then invite different parts of my body, one by one, to bask in that energy for as long as they like. Then, if it feels right, I bring compassion to that body part, and spaciousness and gratitude. I take as much time as the body part seems to need and then move on to a different part. Fingers, blood, bone, bile, hips, mouth… You get the idea. I don’t try to cover my entire body. Instead, I invite the parts that want a drink of mindfulness and some body parts that I cannot feel, even though I know they are there. This practice feels restorative and generates what feels like a healthy hangover of body awareness & gratitude.
On Monday, we’ll have an opportunity to practice this together. We’ll start with a guided meditation, bringing the energy of mindfulness to different parts of our body. Then we’ll practice self-guided mindful movement before settling down to share our experiences.
If you’re moved to explore this topic before Monday, you might enjoy this short Dharma talk by Thay about mindfulness of our body. In addition, here are some questions you might consider in the coming days:
To what extent do you feel aware of your body?
What causes you to inhabit your body? To exit it? Are there patterns?
Are there practices that help you integrate your mind and body?
What other aspects of your practice might you like to share?
I hope you will join us.
With love and a bow,
Marie