Meditation Group Starting at Full Bloom

Last week the residents here decided to re-establish a weekly group meditation practice and I found myself reflecting on the why of it.  There’s a million things to do on this land, why would we all get together and just sit quietly together.  I like to ask these kinds of questions to myself and just write down the reflections that come to me.  When I first started a regular practice of meditation some years ago (To be specific it was in 2001 where I met my 3 other land partners at Green Gulch Zen Center) I thought it was mainly about calming the mind and eventually achieving some transcendental state of perfection where the the throws of human emotion and relational conflict cease to be an issue.

I’ve realized lately that the transformative power of meditation exists in the opportunity it provides to notice a pattern of thought or behavior and to choose something else, some other way of being.  If we stop on put our focus on our breath versus how much that person is wrong we can literally alter our brain chemistry and whole new options, choices present themselves that were preciously not there (given the brain state that goes with reactivity.  For more on this check out Dr. Dan Siegal’s work http://www.drdansiegel.com/)

We have this invaluable ability as humans to intentionally change our way of being in the world and in relationship.  Its up to us to employ this ability to say to ourselves “instead of lashing back at this person I’m going to pause and take a deep breath and consider some more constructive options”

I’m not saying there isn’t value to exploring the depths of human consciousness through the practice of mediation, what I am saying is that it can also be an incredibly powerful grassroots tool that has radical implications for how we pattern and re-pattern our lives both individually and collectively.  Its simple and I think simple can be quite powerful: pause, breath, and watch your perceptions change right before your very eyes.

I’m grateful to be living in a community of folks that value this practice.

Thanks for reading,

Ryan

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.
― Pema ChödrönWhen Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult 

 

 

 

Yoga at Full Bloom

Embodiment practices are a key piece of the Vision here at Full Bloom.  In order take good care of each other, the land and to thrive we need to take good care of our bodies.  I know few practices that are better at creating a noble and calmly energized sense of being in one’s body than Yoga.

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Full Bloom Yogis workin’ da Prana!

Personally yoga has been invaluable in my journey towards freeing myself from chronic pain and depression.  To me a big part of Yoga is to simply join with others in the vulnerable process of breathing into all those places in the body that are contracted, blocked and to bring compassionate presence to them, helping them release so that we can feel more whole, more full of life energy.   Its not always easy, that’s why its a blessing to do it with others.

I feel very grateful that our former land-mate Cassidy Geppert has offered to teach weekly classes in the Farm house on the land.   We clear the floor every Friday AM and practice together and it is and extremely nourishing way to begin the morning.  At some point in the near future we will have a somatic arts space for such classes, but until them we are using the space we have to explore and cultivate our sense of embodiment together.

 

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Cassidy after our Friday morning class in the farm house

“Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul.”
― Amit RayYoga and Vipassana: An Integrated Life Style

The Art of Simplicity

As I sit in meditation in the morning I look out my window which captures a panorama of the heart of the community: the central garden, the community building, the chicken coops, the bathhouse and a cascade of to do’s and anxieties often floods me.  There’s just so much to do and think about!  I close my eyes and come back to just this moment: my breath, the sound of a vehicle, the mild ache in my back and I can rest in the simplicity of what’s just actually happening right here and now.  I’ve come to realizing that I need to rest in that simplicity otherwise I go crazy with the never ending lists of projects that come with being land steward, a husband, a human being. I originally thought that moving out to the country and starting an intentional community would be a simple life, living in harmony with natural cycles and deep in a supportive web of like minded companions.  I can now see that to truly experience simplicity requires a deliberate cultivation of perception    It doesn’t just come about with circumstances (human beings have the magical powers to turn any situation into a circus of craziness).  It requires the deliberate cultivation of perception, the refinement of how I choose to perceive myself, others and the things of the world.  Becoming mindful of the story I am telling myself and choosing to tell a story that is coherent, inspiring and not too complex (e.g. simple). For example:  I could sit here on this beautiful morning on the farm and let my mind go wild painting a chaotic picture of all the things I “should do” or that could go wrong and that go out the door putting out fires and generally running around like a chicken with its head cut off.  Or I could choose to take some time to really get in touch with the elements of my life that are truly most important to me, that I can be pretty sure will make fill my heart with the good stuff (satisfaction, joy, connection, pride) then proceed to craft a day or week that reflects that orientation. My sincere wish for Full Bloom is that it becomes ever more supportive for individuals to stay connected with the peace and inspiration that comes from living as an artist, an intentional story teller. “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” ― Joan DidionThe White Album