Mindful Thoughts Tuesday Exercise

Today we explore further on thoughts and the internal dialog with a small exercise...

Close your eyes and take a deep breath and call to mind someone or something that is very dear to you, someone you love, your spouse or partner, your child or your pet or a friend...

And picture them smiling and happy. 

Notice how you are smiling in your mind, perhaps even a real smile appears on your face...

Notice how it colors your mind.

Now imagine someone or something that you do not like, and notice how it triggers anger, anxiety, regret or

grief. Notice the spectrum of thoughts and sensations changing...  This also colors your mind

Now think of something you are hoping for some time, imagine you have it or it already happened, feel that happiness and joy. Picture how grateful you are. And again notice how this colors your mind.

You can see how thoughts color your mind. How in this short time you can experience many different sensations, and this does not happen only because of me asking you.  It is happening all the time and is something you can practice on your own. 

What appears when thinking, are merely states of energy, an energy that is easily changed when your mind changes focus. 

Our practice for tomorrow; when you find yourself lost in thoughts and they are negative and coloring your mind,  just accept them and observe them as the thought itself, the state of energy.

And notice as soon as you explore that experience how quickly it loses power. 

Thank you for practicing with me, it means a lot ♥

Pictures at the Center

Jammy made this beautiful picture... how it captures that still moment. Thank you, sweet friend!

If you have pictures to share of your avatar meditating send them to me ♥

Mr Sandman surprised me with this beauty ♥

Mindful Thoughts July 6

Thoughts...

When you sit down to meditate, a stream of thoughts distracts you, thoughts about the past, thoughts about the future, thoughts about things you worry, thoughts about things you want or don't want.  As soon as you attempt to put your attention on your breath you will meet your mind and your mind is the most rambling, chaotic, needling,  insulting, insufferable person you will ever meet and you are completely identified with this internal dialog. It's like some maniac walks through the front door of your house and follows you around from room to room and refuses to stop talking and this happens every day of your life. This voice is predominately unhappy, so it generates an  enormous amount of unhappiness. 

 The most important thing that happens with mindfulness is the moment you can separate from that internal voice, no longer identify with the constant stream of thinking. Awakening. Wake up out of the stream of thoughts. And when you wake up, you become present and a completely different dimension of consciousness is suddenly there. 

It is a true breakthrough when you realize here is my thinking, here are all the importune thoughts I've been having, habitual thoughts, repetitive thoughts, very often recurring negative thoughts, here I am knowing that these thoughts are going through my head.

The identification breaks,  you stop identifying with the stream of thinking. 

You recognize thoughts for what they are: mere appearances in consciousness, images, bits of language.

That is why the language used is awakening. Wake up out of the stream of thoughts. And when you wake up, you become present and a completely different dimension of consciousness is suddenly there. 

Another sense of self, deeper than thinking, inside of you, a stillness, an aware presence. Just that.

Now a thought that arises does not give it a necessary claim upon your life, it does not need not to have any implications, good or bad, it is just a thought.

You will always continue to think and be moved to act by thoughts but meditation gives you a choice.

You really want to follow this next thought wherever it leads?

Introduction to Mindful Thoughts

What is mindfulness?

Most of you have probably heard of it and have a pretty good idea what it is about. 

The wiki describes it as: 

"the psychological process of bringing one's attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through the practice of meditation and other training.

The term "mindfulness" is a translation of the Pali term sati, which is a significant element of some Buddhist traditions. The recent popularity of mindfulness in the West is generally considered to have been initiated by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Large population-based research studies have indicated that the practice of mindfulness is strongly 

correlated with greater well-being and perceived health.

For a few years I used the format of Mindfulness lectures around a theme, for example Mindfulness and emotions, Mindfulness and Relationships etc. The books are based on the lectures of Jon Kabat-Zinn and are still available in Second Life at the Center for Mindfulness. Read more...

Center of Mindfulness Make Over

Hello everyone!  I hope you are all staying safe and mindful during these chaotic times. Having done some recent exploring in SL, I was inspired by the beauty of Island of Pandasia and it has encouraged me to revisit my earlier Kinbaku location, bringing elements of its setting and tranquility to the Center for Mindfulness.  I am also evolving the structure and format of the lectures to be more help in the current environment. The long theoretical lectures are a way of learning things but we all have a lot on our mind and things are more easily forgotten, especially if you get a lot of information at once.

From Monday July 6 I will start with Daily Mindful Thoughts (10-15 min) which will be hints, little exercises and sharing with each other how we are doing, so more interactive. After that we will do the Daily Mindfulness Meditation (10 min), and these will adjust depending on the mood of the day and other factors, and everyone is welcome to attend either or both, as time allows.
It is my hope to make the Center a safe and calming place for people to come to learn, relax and recharge, and also to grow a base group of friends who support each other and progress in the awakening. Teleport here and group here ♥

Eckhart Tolle @Russell Brand

A very deep and insightful interview, although our interviewer is mainly listening in awe here:

Daily meditation 10 min Mindfulness ♥

Every day at 2pm SLT we meditate together for 10 min at the Meditation Pavilion at the Center for Mindfulness.  Thanks Jam for the beautiful picture ♥

Do you ever feel anxious? Watch Russell Brand's take on it....

Eckhart Tolle @Rubin Report

Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Eckhart Tolle (Author, ‘The Power of Now’ & ‘A New Earth’ ) about his background and experience with anxiety and depression, the essence of mindfulness, consciousness, and all spirituality, his thoughts on how to bring balance to your life, the importance of connecting with your higher self, and more.
Get the book here

Dandapani, a nice motivational message...

Mindfulness Boosts Happiness!

Here is a great article on how practicing mindfulness can help boost your happiness, and we could all use a bit more happiness in our lives!

How Mindfulness Boosts Happiness

Be mindful, be happy, be your best you!
💜Victoria

Sam Harris on Anxiety

The law of grace- Aira Jun 12pm SLT

Today we will learn about the law of grace and how altruism and empathy brings us much further than ego-centered activity regarding our karmic path.
12pm SLT at the Center for Mindfulness

Tonight Mindfulness and pain

Tonight at 4pm SLT at the Center for Mindfulness

The Spring Forest Qigong Small Universe Meditation Wednesday at 1pm SLT

The Spring Forest Qigong Small Universe Meditation

Spring Forest Qigong is a modernized form of qigong with simple, effective movements and meditations developed by Qigong Master Chunyi Lin. It can help you increase your energy and improve your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Qigong teaches that the underlying cause of any health problem is an energy blockage; remove the blockage and healing can occur. Using effective breathing, healing sounds and visualizations as you move energy, this mediation helps to clear energy blockages along the two most important channels in the body, the front and back channels. These sounds are powerful because their vibrations can reach every corner of the body to clear blockages.

We have many energy channels and energy centers in our bodies. When energy starts at one point, visits all the channels and centers in the body, and comes back to the starting point, we have what is translated from Chinese ancient wisdom as a “big universe.”

The most important channels are the back and front channels in the torso. When energy starts at one point on those channels, visits all the parts of the system, and comes back to the starting point we have what is called a “small universe.”

The back governing channel of yang male energy channels in the body starts at the lower dantian area, which is deep behind the navel. It goes down to the bottom of the torso, travels up along the spine to the top of the head, and comes down from the middle of the forehead stopping at the roof of the mouth. The front channel of yin female energy channels also starts from the lower dantian area, goes down to the bottom of the torso, travels up the body passing through the heart and throat stopping under the tongue.

These two channels control and influence the other channels in the body. Nearly all of the important energy centers are arranged along the back and front channels. As a result, energy blockages in the heart energy center could cause heart, lung, breast, chest or intelligence problems. A blockage in the tail bone could cause reproductive organ problems, low sexual energy, and headaches. A blockage in the cervical bone #7 of the spinal cord could cause headaches, fever, diabetes, and lung and heart problems.

The small universe mediation is the easiest mediation technique to open these two important channels.

Qigong has been found to be beneficial to helping improve health and wellness, and researchers often recommend further research.

https://www.springforestqigong.com/qigong-and-science

For a detailed visualisation:
http://www.robertpeng.com/shc/