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THINKING OF YOU

27/2/2022

Hello Everyone,

Thinking of all of you, as we are faced with another challenge, the devastating situation of the invasion of Ukraine. You may, like me, have felt overwhelmed by shock, grief and a sense of helplessness. In a broader sense, we are looking at what the Buddhists call Samsara - the impermanence, continual change, the ups and downs of life. How Winston Churchill defined History, "one damned thing after another!"

This is where Mindfulness earns its keep. Does it have anything to offer when the rubber really and truly meets the road?

This week we have witnessed the suffering brought about by greed, ego-inflation, absence of conscience, heartless aggression and the interface between power and mental illness.

We have seen the actions of a single individual, abusing the power of the armed forces entrusted to him by the Russian people, to pursue a personal agenda of seizing and ravaging the home of his neighbours. Just because he can. Just because he wants to. The giant land mass of Russia isn't enough for him. Of course it's despicable, shameless and cruel.

Each of us will have our own experience of this situation - shock and outrage, sadness, disappointment and fear, with a chilling sense of deja vu, and for many of us, it's sheer heartbreak.

What can we do? How can we handle this, and for that matter, what can we do whenever we are faced with a painful dilemma in our external environment, one that may be despicable, shameless and even cruel?

What do we do with the aching wish to change the situation, to help the Ukrainian, and for that matter, the Russian people as well?

Does Mindfulness offer us anything we can use? Yes, it does.

First of all, we turn to our inner landscape. This is where we actually. experience our thoughts and feelings regarding a situation. Outer events continually occur, but where we live them is in our own personal mind and heart.

This is Job One - to take care of our personal mind and heart.

It is to re-instate Peace, Strength, Openness and Freedom in our mind, our heart and our soul. No one else has control over our inner space but ourselves.
This is where we can a tap the healing mechanisms of our body and mind as well.

The first thing to do in any challenging situation, is to Pause. To Let Go. To see the space that exists between the situation and ourselves. To see the gap that exists between stimulus and response.

To Pause..... to see that there is space.
Space where we are free to make a choice.
There is a space where we can choose how we want to handle a situation, to consider what the most effective action might be and to access Wisdom. To allow our innate intelligence to arise and to know what the situation, as well as our own mind and body need and to provide it.

A remarkable insight is that we don't have to experience strong emotions and racing thoughts to know that we care, or that something really matters. We often interpret the extent of our own, or others' genuine caring by how upset and overwhelmed we become. In fact, we can clearly know how much we care and how much we want to help from our heart and soul, without the additional weakening of our mind and body through emotional and mental distress. This may be a very different perspective for you on painful emotions and racing thoughts.

To Pause..... to see the space between the external situation and our cognitive and emotional response, And we're always interested in widening that gap - broadening that space in which we are free. Continually expanding to the point where that space of true openness and freedom has more and more place in how we experience and choose to live our lives.

That's what Mindfulness - or any meditation or contemplative practice is. It's taking a break, taking that pause, and enjoying the beautiful peace that arises in that stillness. Taking some time each day, even 5 or 10 minutes, to focus on that space, allow it to open, to the point that it transforms the ease with which we live all of our life. It manifests as greater peace, clarity, resilience, warmth, energy and creativity.

Having done that, now we are ready to look at the situation. Whether it's a personal issue or in this case, a question of what can I do to help the people in Ukraine. We cannot, as I am sure many Polish families are at this moment, offer a place to sleep, to shower and have a warm meal. We can't close the gates to the country and tell aggressive predators to get out and go home. None of us had the power to enter Ukraine into the NATO Alliance, which would have protected it and secured the region. We are very limited on a physical level - but we have no limits on a spiritual level. We can hold an entire country and 44 million people in our hearts. There, we can have a great impact. Never underestimate spiritual power, which we can get better and better at using!

Here is a Mindful practice you can begin with:
With your peace, strength, optimism and love, sit quietly and visualize the country and the people, of all ages, and very gently from your heart, extend the following wishes:

May you be Peaceful
May you be Safe
May you experience Happiness
and the causes of Happiness

And don't forget yourself! To ensure your own Peace and Well-being, gently extend toward yourself:

May I be Happy
May I be Peaceful
May i be Free From Suffering
and the causes of Suffering

Repeat these as many times as you wish. Extend the wishes toward yourself until you feel the shift.

You can set aside some time each day for your practice for Ukraine and for others you may also wish to include. Even during the day when it comes to mind, you can extend your Blessings!

You could practice for a day, a week etc. then see what changes you notice in yourself. Know that these effects are also experienced by everyone in your sphere of love and care.

We all know the story of David and Goliath from the Bible. And we know how that turned out! The last chapter has not been written, particularly with the character, courage and determination of the Ukrainian people.

Wishing you much Peace, Love and Happiness on this Wonderful Journey for us all.
Warmest Wishes,
💙💛 🇺🇦 💛💙
Lynda

THICH NHAT HANH - A PASSING

21/1/2022

Hello Everyone,

Thich Nhat Hahn, our dear teacher, who brought the term and the practice of Mindfulness to the world, passed away in Vietnam on January 22nd just after midnight; that was today, just after noon, our time.

The calligraphy at the top of this page, Be Free Where You Are, was written by him and expresses the essence of his teaching.

That essence is that the experience of joy and peace, as well as the alleviation of suffering of all kinds, is to be found by connecting with, and living in the here and now - the Present Moment - so open, clear, spacious and free.

In one of his more recent books, "You are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment", he writes:

"Every twenty-four hours a tremendous gift is given to us.
Another opportunity to live in a way that makes joy and happiness possible.
We can do this.
I begin my day by making an offering of incense, while following the flow of my breath.
I think to myself that this is a day to live fully, and to live each moment in a way that is beautiful, solid and free.
This only takes 3 or 4 minutes, but it gives me a great deal of pleasure.
You can do the same thing when you wake up.
Breathe in and know that a new day is offered to you, and that you can live it fully.
No one can take it from you."

As Thich Nhat Hahn showed us much about how to live, in another recent book he also showed us much about how to die.
"No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life" provides a transformative view of a reality which is much misunderstood and therefore feared.

I feel tremendous personal gratitude toward this wonderful man, whose teachings have transformed and enriched my life as well as the lives of thousands around the world.

We have seen how Mindfulness has had such a profound and life-changing effect on people's lives in so many ways.

It is currently being used to bring healing to anxiety, depression, to ease chronic pain and bring peace and calm to every form of suffering.

I bring my palms together in a deep bow of warmest thanks for the gift to our world of Thich Nhat Hanh, this wonderful man, this wonderful Bodhisattva, whose life was devoted to sharing how much beauty, grace and love is all around us, and within us and fully available, when we can be here, open to receive it.

Many, many warmest thanks and love from us all.

Lynda

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2/1/2022

Hello Everyone,

It has been quite a while since we spoke, but I certainly haven't forgotten you! It has been an extremely busy year for Psychologists - I haven't had quite the same time to devote to writing on Mindfulness.

But I have still been faithful to my practice - and realize what a wonderful component of my life it is! It has made difficult situations so much easier, through simply living situations as they arise, in the present time. Living just this moment - simply connecting with reality moment by moment. In other words, by meeting what actually IS, rather than embellishing situations with stories of the past and stories of the "future". Exaggerations and vivid imaginings can warp even the simplest moment - a moment which is, in truth, open to creation, open to beauty, and filled with possibilities - for you!
Who would we be without those stories?

I will continue to stay in touch, perhaps with shorter, practical, and hopefully insightful posts, that will be fun & interesting for me to share and meaningful for you to consider and experiment with in your life!

Meanwhile, I would like to offer each of you my heart-felt, warmest wishes for a Wonderful 2022.
I wish you Ceaseless Joy each day, as you live this New Year.
May all your relationships blossom with renewed love.
May your projects grow and flourish.
May your Wisdom permeate each situation of your life, and
May your Beautiful Essential Nature enrich your life and permeate the hearts of every being you encounter, throughout each Brand New, Unique, Moment of the New Year.

Speak with you soon, wishing you Every Happiness!

🌈❤️ Lynda

p.s. if you have interest in reading the posts I sent through 2020 and into 2021, just go to my website: www.lyndaryanchildandadultpsychologist.com
Click onto Blog and all the topics will appear!
❤️ L.

OXYGEN FOR INDIA

13/5/2021

Hello Everyone -

Hope you are all well, happy and enjoying this Glorious Weather.
If you were looking for a way of helping India and Nepal at this terrible time, here is a solid, reliable way of donating.
It is a Go Fund Me called Oxygen for India, and has come to me through very reliable sources.
I have sent them a donation and they keep me updated on their progress.
I am impressed with what they are doing, which is why I’m passing it on.
If you are interested, you can find out more about their work by clicking on the link below.

Keep well!
Keep happy!
Speak with you soon!
Lynda

https://www.gofundme.com/f/o2-for-india?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer&_bta_tid=39816275065476419892366705727327929360473039803480026438738943519211128867171098363595590716031950779912&_bta_c=0mgh7mi7f2mkyxaw7sz7ki23b4fsg

MINDFULNESS - LOCKDOWN NIGHTS IN OXFORD

3/4/2021

Hello Everyone -

How are all of you?

I haven’t forgotten you! It has been SUCH a busy time, but I think of you often, and want to stay in touch!

Here is a wonderful poem I have recently heard, that speaks to our current situation, of being cut off from so many of the wonderful things - and people - we have enjoyed; and yet, how such richness can be found, through connecting with what is available and at hand.

Rupert Spira shares how he has developed the habit of taking long walks after dark, through the town of Oxford, where he lives. (Obviously - no quarantine!!)
He was enjoying his walks in silence until his son suggested he wear earpods, and be able to enjoy all the poetry, music and readings from some of the world’s great literature, and writings of the sages and mystics which he loves.

He wrote the following poem, reflecting the richness of his experience - keeping company with wonderful artists, philosophers and masters. In each encounter, he shares with us the essence of each of his companion’s vision.

Lockdown Nights in Oxford
a poem by Rupert Spira

Last night I walked the streets of Oxford with Kabir.
The night before, it was Jesus.
And the night before, Rumi visited, uninvited.
Every night, a different companion, but always the same Friend.

Why go anywhere, when the Beloved always comes to you?

I pointed out the smiling houses to Kabir,
‘Have you ever noticed that each house has a face?’
‘It is I who am smiling’, he said.

‘I am happy to see you’, I said to Atmananda the next night.
‘You are happiness itself’ he replied.

I stood outside a chapel and listened to the choir with Brother Lawrence.
‘Our love for God, is God’s love for us’, he said.

And the next night, Meister Eckhart,
‘There is a huge silence inside each of us, that beckons us into itself.’

‘Know nothing’ Socrates said the following night.
‘Be Everything’ added Parmenides.
I showed Plotinus the gardens, but he said, ‘I see only one thing’.

I talked with the Buddha, but he remained silent.

I was silent with Moses, but he started to sing!

I uttered the word 'I', but Balayani held his finger to my mouth.

I asked Wang Po if he could hear the stream,
‘There is only the hearing’, he said.

I found William Blake, naked in the park.
‘Do you see how, through perception,
The Infinite gives birth to itself?’ he asked.

‘He’s right!’ Ramana said.
‘The universe appears every moment through the portal, “I am”.
And later, when I suggested we rest,
‘I am always at rest’, he smiled.

‘Thine! This universal frame, this wondrous fare.
Thyself, how wondrous then?’
Milton asked ecstatically, as we looked at the night sky.’

‘Everything shines with Being!’ Wordsworth said.

I offered a drink to Jesus,
‘I am the Water of Life’, he said.

I walked in silence with Francis,
‘My silence is my question’ I said.
‘My silence is my answer’, he replied.

I walked alone one night, with the World for my friend.

The next night, I found Hafiz, drunk on a bench.
‘Come, taste this wine!’ he called.
Shaams came to join us.
‘I am looking for the Friend’, he sighed.

‘I love these nighttime walks,’ I said to Anandamaya Ma.
‘Love, only Love’ she said.

I listened to barking dogs with Avandavagupta,
‘Know only Knowing’, he said.

'I am'
‘Shhh - don’t add anything to it” Nisargadatta uttered.

I danced down the street with Mozart.
I prayed in every step with Bach.
I listened with Beethoven,
and he showed me everything
as the crystallized form of a great cosmic pulsation.

I leaned with Primo Levi against a wall, watching friends, lovers and strangers.
‘Each of us’, he said, ‘bears the imprint of a friend met along the way.’

Yeats joined us, ‘There are no strangers here,
Only friends we haven’t yet met.’

And Rembrandt agreed.
‘If you look at anyone for long enough,’ he said,
‘They will eventually become your friend.’

I watched the sun set with Shelley one night,
“The one remains, the many change and pass.’ he said.
And then, as the moon arose,
‘Heaven’s light forever shines. Earth’s shadows fly.
Life, like a dome of many coloured glass,
Stains the white radiance of eternity.’

And last night, Rumi followed me home.
‘Kiss the ground with every step.’ he said.
'Good Night.' I said, without words.
‘We part without parting.’ he smiled.

I hope you enjoy this poem. You can watch the video of Rupert reading it online. It is quite beautiful. It gives me a sense that even if we are limited in how far outside ourselves we can go, there is no limit to how deeply, and fully, we are able to live.

Sending each of you the warmest wishes for a Beautiful Springtime, Happy Passover, and Happy Easter.
All three of these, Spring, Passover and Easter celebrate the overcoming of limitation and hardship into the Joy of renewal.

And each new day, each new moment is also an opportunity for renewal, an opportunity for Joy.

Wishing you all the warmth of This Beautiful Sunny Day!
Lynda

MINDFULNESS - BEAUTIFUL LUNAR NEW YEAR WISHES

14/2/2021

Hi Everyone -

So nice to connect with you all again!
Hope you are all Well and Happy!

I received a beautiful and so relevant New Year greeting from Pullahari Monastery, a Buddhist center in Nepal.

I found it to be so special, that I wrote it onto two cards. One to read with my morning Mindfulness practice, and the other, to keep as a bookmark for whichever book I am currently reading.
I changed the first line, “In the Newly Arisen Year….” to “In the Newly Arising Moment”, to give it relevance year round.
Here it is:

“In the Newly Arising Moment, may all excellent wishes bloom. May each mindstream brim with happiness, kindness and compassion.
Through our jeweled Mindfulness, may both the temporal and ultimate experience be auspicious.
With luminous Wisdom, may we see the Full Splendor of things as they are.”

I also received a wonderful message from Plum Village in France. Each Lunar New Year, Thich Nhat Hanh provides two poetic phrases in calligraphy, to inspire and nurture our Mindfulness practice throughout the year.

This year they are:

“Sitting in Freedom on this Sacred Land.”
And
“Walking in Peace Everywhere on Earth.”

These are contemplations we can repeat to ourselves, to both ground our body and mind in the present moment or to repeat softly to ourselves as we go about a busy day, to maintain our centeredness and connection with our own Presence.

We can also deeply integrate these phrases, by combining each of them with our breathing:

For example, we can say to ourselves,
“Sitting in Freedom on this Sacred Land” as we breathe in, and “Walking in Peace Everywhere on Earth” as we breathe out. These are living aspirations we may wish to nurture within us.

You can adjust them to suit your natural breathing pattern.
I actually like to use just one at a time. For example: Set 5, 10 or 15 minutes aside, close your eyes or keep them open with soft focus on one spot. Repeat the full phrase a few times, then say,
“Sitting in Freedom” with the inhalation and “On this Sacred Land” with the exhalation.
Or, “Walking in Peace “ on the inhalation, and “Everywhere on Earth” on the exhalation.
That’s how I like to do it, but have fun with it. Engage with it in the way that suits you!

Thich Nhat Hanh has sent the beautiful hand-written calligraphy of these phrases, in his message, which I have attached here.

You can download and print both of them - provided in two sizes - which you can place, to use as touchstones, in both your home and your workplace. They would be lovely reminders in your kitchen, by a light switch, near your computer or by the front door, to see as you leave your home.

With the warmest wishes, that they will bring you inspiration and nourishment In the New Year to come!

Stay Well & Happy!
Lynda

P.s. If my posts are new to you, you can read the others I have sent since the beginning of Covid, by clicking “Blog” on my website: www.lyndaryanchildandadultpsychologist.com
Happy Reading!
Hope you Enjoy Them!

https://plumvillage.org/articles/2021-lunar-new-year-parallel-verses/

MINDFULNESS - BEING A BEAUTIFUL PERSON TO LIVE WITH

30/1/2021

Hi Everyone -

   How are you doing?

   How are you getting along with all the challenges we’re facing?

   Challenges of working from home, or working “out there” with other people?
   Challenges of parenting children at home or “out there” in the schools?
Challenges of studying on-line, alone with your computer. Your ideas of college and university life didn’t quite resemble the four walls of your bedroom, day in and day out.
   The longing to be with family and friends blunted by concerns for their, or your, safety!
   How odd, how strange all of this is!

   Yet, we have to pat ourselves on the back! We’re doing it! We’re rising to all those challenges! Give yourself another pat on the back! We’re doing it and it ain’t easy!

   I’m hoping that Mindfulness can give you some reprieve, some additional support. I’m hoping it can help - to realize that you can STOP - on a regular basis. Just let go of it all, and STOP.

   Whether it's for 5 minutes or 10, at different points in your day - or even for a minute or two, every hour or so - just let go, be still, re-charge and possibly re-direct yourself.

   It’s helpful to ask - HOW do I want to live this? How do I want to approach it, How do I want to feel? Maybe it’s to go about the very same task, but with more calm, being more centered?

   You actually can choose - by Stopping, coming to a state of Stillness, Making A Choice and Proceeding from there.

   We’re often caught by the thought and feeling patterns of our conditioned mind. The part of our mind that seems to take charge - generating non-stop thinking, emotional reactions, worries, judgements - incessantly! The Hamster Wheel - exhausting!

   These are the times Mindfulness can really help!

   We Stop, we connect with Stillness, and now we become AWARE. Now we see it - rather than being caught up, absorbed and even driven by it!

   We see, we recognize, each thought as it arises, then the corresponding feelings as they follow along, then the beliefs and judgements that seem to automatically arise in their wake.

   We see each of them, as it arises.
   We see it as it has its moment,
   And see it as it disappears, evaporates - only to be replaced by another cycle of thoughts, emotions, beliefs and judgements.
   Now we see it. Now we can choose. Does this serve me? Is this where I want to go? Who I want to be?

   We return to Reality. - to the here and now. It’s wide open. It’s spacious. It’s brand new. This moment has never happened before. It’s open to how we choose to use it!
Isn’t that wonderful?

   We can let go of our busy, often “over-heated” mind. We can be still. We can connect with our heart, with our warmth, and find a totally different, more loving, more effective, more understanding and creative response. We have just moved the unfolding of life, the trajectory, in a different direction!

   I love the analogy of an ocean liner leaving New York harbour bound for Ireland. It makes one change in its direction, and it ends up in Portugal! The power came in making the change of direction. The rest unfolded naturally.

Our default position doesn’t have to be a non-stop preoccupied mind. Our default position can be warmth and kindness - understanding that everyone is living some degree of challenge.

Andrew Cuomo said at the beginning of the pandemic, “This shut-down is hard for some people because they are alone. For others, because they are with people. I just live with my dog - and boy, does he get on my nerves!”

   Whatever our context, we are all living with less social engagement and activity. We can live it as a situation of restriction and confinement, or - we could experience it as a sanctuary - a time for greater reflection, for cultivating the relationships we usually don’t have sufficient time for. We can use our time more intentionally.
   We can also begin by connecting with Peace - the stillness inside us. It’s there, always accessible - but we’re usually so preoccupied that it’s drowned out and we don’t even realize all the beautiful qualities and strengths we have!

   These qualities are actually named in Mindfulness, as The Divine Abodes. Equivalent to living in Heaven!!! They are states of mind which are part of our nature as human beings - that can be accessed, developed and can become a big part of who we are and how we live our life - day in & day out.

They are:
- Love, warmth
- Joy, a state of brightness, happiness
- Equanimity, a state of strength, stability, even-mindedness
- Compassion, a state of caring for others, for our world.
It fosters understanding, insight, patience and a wish to help in any way we can. If we can’t physically do anything, we can always radiate warmth and blessings from our heart.

   How wonderful our life can be!

   I will be holding a Mindfulness Evening on Zoom, on Wednesday, February 10th from 7 to 9 p.m. Please feel free to join us, to further our understanding and development of these topics and our Mindfulness.
   If you wish to attend, please register by Thursday, February 9th, at 6 p.m.
   To register, an e-transfer of $35. may be sent to:
   lryanpsychologist@gmail.com
   Security question: what are we studying?
   Answer: Mindfulness
    A receipt will be sent to you for insurance purposes.

Everyone is Welcome!
Hope to meet you there!

Keep well and happy!
Lynda

MINDFULNESS - LIVING WITH AN EASEFUL MIND & A JOYFUL HEART

1/1/2021

Hello Everyone -

Happy New Year! May it be one of Realization, Insight and Greater Freedom!

   Realizing that it is absolutely possible - that we can live our life with a Mind that Is Easeful and a Heart that is Open and Joyful!

   Realizing that we can be our truest and most authentic selves.

   That we have all we need to live a life that is at peace, with a true and deep sense of Well-Being.

   We have the Wisdom, Intelligence, Judgement and Creativity to bring to each situation we encounter, each day. We have many Natural Resources that we can draw on, to be effective in each relationship or circumstance we meet.

   We don’t have to play games, make up stories and justifications, or create “false selves” to get by, or to deal with life. In fact, these are the very CAUSES of tension and distress - the very things that create stress and dissatisfaction in ourselves.

   We can simplify.

   We can simply be who we are - with confidence. We can be honest, sincere and present to each moment as it unfolds.

   We only, ever, live one moment at a time. We only, ever, live Now.

   Even if this moment is difficult, we can let ourselves relax into it. We can see what it’s all about - and often see what it is trying to teach us. See if we can be open to that learning - which often includes letting go, and opening to the wider context of life.

   If action is required (it isn’t always!), we can have greater clarity, based on a wider perspective, to see which action would truly be most effective - just one moment at a time.

   Ultimately, it’s usually about trusting life and trusting ourselves - and often being willing to give the other person, or the situation, (or ourselves), some positive, warm-hearted space in which to find clarity and resolution. Space where we can breathe easily, settle, and connect with all our Wonderful Resources - then respond.

   We can find greater freedom. We can find satisfaction in how we engage with life and meet its challenges. We can find a deep and abiding happiness that runs beneath the flow of changing circumstances.

   We can realize that all we have ever needed, was there all along. We can enjoy the experience of being alive!

   It may actually be a new way of living! - with a sense of engagement, adventure, and with an easeful mind and a joyful heart!

   This is my vision for your New Year, for each moment, always!

Warmest, Best Wishes!
Lynda

MINDFULNESS - ALLOW YOUR HEART TO BECOME A CRADLE FOR THE CHRIST CHILD

13/12/2020

Hello Everyone -

   The Christmas Season is here! In its own unique way! But isn’t every Christmas unique?

   We need Christmas! Regardless of how the year has unfolded, Christmas always comes around - inviting us to let go of our preoccupations, entanglements and habitual worries, to immerse ourselves in Beauty and Joy - in the music, the glittering decorations, the feasting and truly wishing each other well. All the carols and Christmas cards wish this for us! And so do I.

   It’s the time to recall and celebrate the birth of a Great Master who fundamentally had One Lesson to teach. That singular message, the essential Christian vision which can transform life at every level - for every individual, community and society. It is very simple, it is Love.

   It is that component that heals, ennobles, clarifies, energizes and motivates, and brings Wisdom into every situation.

   We all know this to be true. From the time we were babies, through our years as a student, in our families, our relationships, in the workplace - we have thrived when Love was there and became unsure and anxious when it wasn’t. It was, and continues to be, like Oxygen.

   It is also an essential part of our nature - meaning that it is always there, we can always access it and live our life, day to day, moment to moment, from that awareness.

   I have to smile when I think that even with love - human beings can’t leave well enough alone. We have to complicate it! We have to bring in lots of thinking about it, judgements, fears around reciprocation, loss of freedom, other people’s opinions of us, worries as to outcome etc. etc. etc. Our egoic needs and outlook surface!

   Our best case scenario may be that love is a feeling we experience with people who are close to us - those we trust and value. Our partners, children, close friends and family (or select members thereof), our areas of interest, and humanity (in a general sort of way) - and even all of them can be on thin ice!

   Several years ago, in a session with a client, both of us, sitting together, had a highly enlightening experience that is actually hard to describe. It was as if a curtain fell and both of us shared an illuminating insight simultaneously, that almost took our breath away. The room seemed to crackle with the shift in energy. Through our exploration of the many people who had been in her life through the years, the insight was that, regardless of personal imperfections, short-comings and myriads of other factors, the most vital, life-giving, enriching, securing quality that some of them expressed and embodied was - Warmth. And it made ALL the difference!

   Warmth is something we can give to anyone - no strings attached!

   It comes from our heart. It can be seen in our eyes, heard in our voice, perceived in our smallest gestures and felt in our presence.

   It can be experienced as respect, acknowledgement of our presence, and connection where no words are necessary. Babies thrive, students become enthusiastic, relationships can straighten out, workplaces are happier and more inspired, people get better and even heal faster when their nurse or doctor has warmth.
It’s a powerful force that can be extended to everyone. And - all its transformative benefits occur on both sides -

   “Aimer et être aimé, c’est sentir le soleil des deux côtés”
- D. Viscott
   Warmth - our gateway to Love, is all our own!
We don’t need particular conditions, the right circumstances or people to make it happen or to maintain it.
We already have it within us - every one of us!
It’s not dependent on external elements. It is within us and grows the more we practice it. It’s like a fire that grows when we tend to it. Eventually it becomes so strong that it is always with us, always available. It cannot be taken from us. We can always connect with it, shift into it - then watch what happens!

   An interesting phenomenon, known to Developmental Psychologists, is that babies and young children experience love toward people in their environment. They interpret their very own loving nature as something provided by the caregiver, since they experience it when he or she is there. It sets up the idea that the environment is the cause, the activator of that feeling of love - leading to an on-going search for that experience outside ourselves. and for the "person who will make that happen", when it was ours all along! This is actually a life-changing insight!

   This is the Christmas Message, the Ultimate Christmas Gift given by the Master Teacher whose birth we are remembering and celebrating over this Season. The beautiful thing is that this essential Christian vision is also the essence of Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. It has no boundaries!

   This is also a central, if not THE central component of Mindfulness.

   Please join us on Friday evening, December 18th from 7 to 9 p.m. on Zoom, for a Mindfulness Evening together, when we can explore these ideas further!

   Registration is open and will close at 6 p.m. on Thursday,
December 17th. It may be completed by sending an e-transfer for $35 to: lryanpsychologist@gmail.com  Receipts will be provided for insurance purposes. Hope to see you there!

   Warmest wishes from my heart to yours, for much Joy and Deep Peace at Christmas, and a New Year filled to the brim - and overflowing - with much happiness, fulfillment and Love des deux côtés!

Lynda

MINDFULNESS - THE WIDE OPEN SKY

22/11/2020

Hello Everyone -

   Hoping you are all well and happy!

   As you can imagine, I am VERY busy these days - working virtually through the telephone and ZOOM. It’s still a difficult and strange time, but it also seems to be a rich time for reflection and reassessing. Mindfulness certainly helps!

   What I would like to share with you today, is actually the very essence of Mindfulness, - and how transformative and enlivening it is when we become more familiar with the Natural State of Our Mind.

   Our mind is usually filled with thoughts and feelings that can seem non-stop - (the hamster wheel)! We’re not always sure where they’ve come from, whether they are even relevant, or of any value - but there they are, one after the other!

   Thoughts and feelings - basically cognitions and the emotions triggered by them, are so much a part of our lives - constant, on-going, so incessant that we seldom stop to really consider what they are and where they come from. And - unfortunately - we often automatically/unconsciously take them to be the truth!

   They not only clutter our mind, block our creativity and absorb our energy, but they can also be the driving force, “the gremlins”, behind the decisions and actions we take! They can be the designers of the life we live.

   It becomes even more relevant to understand thoughts and feelings when they create, and maintain, states - such as anxiety and depression.

   When we look closely, we can see how they trigger each other in an on-going pattern, to the point where we can feel overwhelmed and think the only option is medication (or some other substitute) - just to get some calm and peace of mind.

   In contrast to that, we can actually live in a more fresh, spontaneous way!

   In fact the basic nature of our very own mind is open, spacious and bright.

   It is alert, vivid, and is the vast awareness - within which - thoughts, feelings, perceptions, sensations etc. etc. arise!

   Our mind is actually a wide open space - with its own inherent qualities! Just stop reading for a moment - I’ll wait - and just look at your mind itself. Not the content - but the mind itself. You can spend a moment or two just experiencing how open, without boundaries, and spacious it is - to all possibilities!
It is lovely to become more familiar with it, to realize that beyond passing thoughts, feelings and other experiences, it is unchanging and is fundamentally who you are.
We can realize how much less vulnerable we are to passing events (both internal and external) when we are connected and grounded in our authentic nature and experience of truly being ourself.

   A good analogy for our mind, and all that appears within it - is the wide open sky and the clouds and weather conditions that pass through it.

   Clouds, rain, lightning etc. are temporary situations - they arise, have their moment and dissolve, while the sky itself remains unchanged.

   The point of Mindfulness - the slowing down, being present, becoming more awake and aware of what is happening moment to moment (as opposed to being driven by automatic pilot), is really - to experience and live out of that open, spacious, creative mind.

   There is clarity and freedom, out of which we can CHOOSE how we want to experience whatever occurs in our environment. We can respond rather than react, in a way that is fresh, new and exactly right for the moment at hand - the living moment itself.

   Otherwise, all we have to draw on is what and how we have lived in the past. Much of our experience is valuable but we can also be re-playing old patterns drawn from our conditioning, drawn from fears and beliefs, or drawn from something we just heard or saw on the news.

   When actually, all our resources - our insight, intelligence, creativity - ready to be applied to this unique moment, may remain inactive, unused. These are the very resources that could give us confidence, understanding, skill and a sense of mastery in life, but are eclipsed by the non-stop activation of thoughts and the feelings they generate.

   Everyone is talking about chains of infection of the virus, but there are also chains of infectious thoughts. We need to quarantine our mind every now and then - to protect it, to give it rest, and even to allow it to rehabilitate and recover.

   That quarantine for our mind, is just to be still.
To take time to experience the beauty, the peace, the constancy, the stability of the mind itself.

   This is why we practice - why we take 15 minutes - or more - each day, to settle, to become more grounded in being who we actually are, to reconnect with our inner strength, our open free mind. We can be fully awake - and decide how we want to respond to environmental events. Clouds are temporary conditions.

Clouds do not control - actually have no impact at all - on the Sky!

   A lovely thing to do from time to time, is to set up a longer Retreat for yourself. Whatever is possible - a day or half-day each month, or even an hour on the weekend, to make time for stillness, for reading, reflecting and even writing, to restore yourself and connect with all your gifts!

   I will be offering a Mindfulness Evening this Wednesday, November 25th, from 7 to 9 p.m. Registration is now open and may be completed by e-transfer of $35. to: lryanpsychologist@gmail.com. Registration closes on Tuesday at 4 p.m., at which time you will receive the link for the Evening to be held on Wednesday. Receipts for insurance purposes will be provided.

   Come with questions, come with reflections! We will practice together and consider how Mindfulness can bring more peace, more clarity, empowerment and love to whatever arises in our own unique world - moment by moment!

   Keep Well! Keep Happy!

If you are interested in posts I’ve written previously, since the beginning of Covid, you can find them at my website: lyndaryanchildandadultpsychologist.com. Click onto Blog.

   Keep Very, Very Well!
Lynda

“When we live in Awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere”.
  - Thich Nhat Hanh

MINDFULNESS EVENING, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020 "LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT"

16/10/2020

Hi Everyone -

Last March, when we first went into our “Stay At Home” response to Covid, it occurred to me that it would be quite a while before we would be meeting again, before we would have a chance to continue cultivating and practicing our Mindfulness together.

I then thought of sending out little e-mails to keep in touch and to keep up the work we had begun - to tend to that beautiful seed of Mindfulness that we had planted - to keep it watered, supported and encouraged to grow!

My next thought was of all the excellent material, all the articles and YouTube videos out there already, for people to read and watch. People I had learned from, were providing beautiful and thorough teachings, making them available to everyone. Anything anyone could ever want was already out there. What could I have to say that would add anything to that? The very best teachers were already doing it!

Then a very unexpected thought suddenly came to my mind, “Yes, but all those people are not me”.

It took a minute to process that one!

What followed was a kind of realization - that each one of us, is a singular and completely unique point of consciousness, that is capable of expanding as far as anything we can be conscious of.

Yes, we are connected with each other, and with all of nature, but - we are each one of us, absolutely unique, equal to everyone else, and are as able as anyone, to draw from the ever-flowing, ever-replenishing well-spring of Wisdom, Creativity, Energy and Joy within us. Which, in addition, is uniquely expressed by each one of us!

You might want to read that paragraph again, for what it is implying!

Each of us has the potential to draw on what we have come to think of as “gifts”, “resources” and beautiful, transformational states of mind - what we may be missing is Access!

This is where Mindfulness comes in! Mindfulness brings Awareness with it. We become clearly aware of the obstacles to living with the freedom and true happiness we long for. We begin to see a lot of the optional clutter in our mind that obscures the fullness of who we are. We also see the natural, open, clarity of our mind as well. We see that there are clouds, which by their nature are temporary, and that the brilliant sun is shining ceaselessly behind them.

This will be the starting point for our next Mindfulness Evening. It will take place this Wednesday evening, October 21st, from 7 to 9 p.m. We will meet through Zoom and Everyone Is Welcome!

Registration may be completed through an e-transfer of $35. to: lryanpsychologist@gmail.com
The security question may be: what are we studying?
The answer would be: Mindfulness
Registration is now open and will close on Tuesday afternoon, October 20th at 4 p.m.

You can click onto the invitation which you will receive, at the time of the meeting, Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The doors will open and we will be together again!

I am so looking forward to seeing you all - and to having a Beautiful and Fruitful Evening!

Warmest regards,
Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Lynda

THE SIMPLICITY OF THE PRESENT MOMENT

11/10/2020

Hi Everyone -

Hope you are happy and enjoying each moment of your day!

Eckhart Tolle presented a live seminar two nights ago, which was extraordinary. He so clearly shared the value and impact Mindfulness has on our life and on stabilizing and freeing our mind. I couldn’t recommend it more highly - which is why I’ve attached it for you here.

He talks about the practice of simply being present. Simply living in THIS very moment, whatever it may be, also aware of the stillness that is always there.

We begin to see that much of our agitation is built up by our mind. All the run-away thinking - our attention caught in the past, caught up in the future - playing out scenarios and story lines.

When we let go of all the mind activity swirling around, and just return to the simple reality of Now - just this moment - it’s all so much lighter! - it’s always just this moment. We can actually live our life one moment at a time. In Reality - rather than in
overwhelm, anxiety, stress etc. It’s always, simply now. We can just be here - and respond to the situation at hand in the most effective, creative way.

We can always just stop - come back to being centered in ourself - take a few lovely, full, deep breaths - and we can see how our mind settles immediately. Now we are able to calmly consider our options.

The more we live simply in here and now - the more that becomes natural to us, the more it becomes our outlook and how we perceive our life and situations around us. Reality is so much more simple, straight forward and kinder than the stories we tell ourselves about it.

We begin to have more clarity, we more easily see what is relevant and what is not. It becomes easier to make decisions. We become clearer and more creative in how we respond.

Even in the midst of terrible conditions, Mindfulness can bring some reprieve. Like a balm, it can provide some space within the situation for stability and calm. Much has been written and studied on this subject. Mindfulness has been introduced into many “hot spots” - to great benefit.

Having a Mindfulness practice, where we sit for 10 or 15 minutes every day, simply letting our mind rest, finding ease and being present, has an even greater impact and contributes to actually living more and more in this state of peace and openness.

We focus our attention on our breath, feeling each one as we inhale and feeling it as we exhale. It gives our mind a place to rest, like a bird who can stop fluttering, and find a branch on which to light. Our thoughts won’t stop altogether - but they calm down and we can feel a degree of inner stillness. I will go into detail on this in my next post.

It’s so different from being caught up by events around us - even the news, social media etc. etc. Notice, in your life, what tends to produce agitation - and consider its value.

Personally, I’ve just begun a de-tox from the news - and it’s HARD!!!!! The news is designed to be addictive - to keep us watching - to engage our emotions (especially by generating fear), curiosity and craving - to see what’s going on - continually! There’s no question that the news can increase anxiety and overwhelm. We soak in all that information and all those images at one time! The result is that we’re kept in a state of threat and vigilance that we are only partially conscious of - making it even more difficult to have a beautiful, relaxed sense of well being..

It’s a hard de-tox, but I’ve done it before and it’s made a HUGE difference. Before long, you notice that you’re feeling less edgy and there’s SO much more time! And - I still knew what was going on!

Speaking of news, I have a bit of Mindfulness News: I have added (that is, my daughter has added) a Blog to my web-site, where you can find all the posts I’ve written since March, listed chronologically and alphabetically by title. They are at: lyndaryanchildandadultpsychologist.com

Also - I invite you to the next Mindfulness Evening to be held by Zoom on Wednesday, October 21st, from 7 to 9 p.m. More details to follow.

So nice to have a way to stay in touch with you all. You’ll find Eckhart’s wonderful message attached below.

Have a Beautiful Autumn!
And a Very Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Warmest regards,
Lynda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fVoMMz-V7c&feature=youtu.be&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJscnlhbnBzeWNob2xvZ2lzdEBnbWFpbC5jb20iLCAia2xfY29tcGFueV9pZCI6ICJOazd6WmIifQ%3D%3D

MINDFULNESS EVENING - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2020

19/9/2020

Hello Everyone -

   Just a little note to say hello and to remind you that there will be a Mindfulness Evening held this Friday evening from 7 to 9 p.m.

   A Mindfulness Evening is a space in which we can learn, share and experience Mindfulness more deeply.

   There are so many wonderful texts, articles and videos on line that provide a wealth of information regarding Mindfulness.

It is so inspiring and uplifting to discover the path of presence, openness, allowing and peace.

The next step is to make it our own - to truly embody it, and live from that experience, as we move through our day - with family, in the workplace, in all our daily tasks & activities - with everyone we meet!

It is truly inner work, to cultivate that state of consciousness within us, that gradually becomes the state of mind we bring to every aspect - to each moment - of our lives.

It has been wonderful to be together as we were in the past - and will be again in the future - but meanwhile, we can still create the space to meet - to either become familiar with Mindfulness, or to develop the understanding we have attained. Everyone is welcome!

In the words of Thich Nhat Hahn, “to plant, then to water and continue to nourish the seeds of Mindfulness within us,” we care for and cultivate this consciousness, as we would a developing child.

We will meet to do just that, this Friday evening, September 25th from 7 to 9 p.m.

Registration is now open and will close on Thursday at 4 p.m.
It will be completed upon receipt of an e-transfer of $35.
The Security Question could be: “What are we studying?”
The answer would be: “Mindfulness”.

Your link to the Evening will be sent to you on Thursday night.
You can click onto this at the time of the meeting, Friday at 7 p.m., when the doors will open and we will be together again!

   Looking forward to seeing you there!

   Below is a charming picture of a Baby Buddha!
He has a clear message! Enjoy!

Have a Lovely Week!
Lynda

MINDFULNESS EVENING - SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2020

14/9/2020

Hello Everyone -

Hope you are all well and happy - enjoying your very own Present Moment.

I have been busy, learning how to host over Zoom, and have been preparing for our First Virtual Mindfulness Evening.

Please Note: The date has changed from September 18th - which is Rosh Hashanah. To accommodate our Jewish friends, we will meet instead on Friday, September 25th, from 7 to 9 p.m.

This will be an evening of practice, exploration and sharing.

Together, we will expand our understanding of this path, by exploring various aspects of Mindfulness, and topics related to it

The aim is, to deepen our understanding of what it is - to live in peace, with openness to the Wisdom of each moment as it arises, unfolds and continually flows.

Sharing makes the ideas real! Discussion helps us truly integrate what it is - to live a more joyful, creative way of life. I am hoping that you will also choose to join in the exploration of this beautiful path as well.

Registration may be completed through an e-transfer of $35. To lryanpsychologist@gmail.com
The Security Question may be: “what are we studying?”
The answer would be: “Mindfulness”.

Registration is now open and will close on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 24th at 4 p.m.
Your link for the Evening will be sent to you on Thursday evening.
You can click onto this at the time of the meeting, Friday, September 25th at 7 p.m.
The doors will open and we will be together again - almost in-person!

It will be a first! There may be glitches, but I know it will be meaningful - and fun!

If you have any questions regarding the Evening, please feel free to pose them by return e-mail.

So looking forward to seeing you there!

Have a Lovely Two Weeks!

Warmest Wishes,
Lynda

MINDFULNESS AND DIFFICULT EMOTIONS

5/9/2020

Hello Everyone -

Hope you are all well and happy, enjoying this Glorious Day of Sunshine here in Montreal. - it’s Still Summer!

Looking at an important aspect of Mindfulness today. How can Mindfulness help when the present moment is difficult, when it’s painful?

What Mindfulness actually is, is the way to develop greater presence in our life. To be able to bring presence to each moment - which includes ourselves - and to our feelings in that moment.

I see two aspects to this. Mindfulness can help us recognize the causes - how we have been thinking and feeling that has resulted in the outlook, or the feelings we are presently experiencing. The other is how we care for ourselves in that moment and also see how we can transform that experience.

Mindfulness is a way of interrupting mind activity, to be able to let go, and re-connect with ourselves, with reality, with our life here and now, and with our own power. With our power to choose how we wish to respond and engage with life moment by moment, rather than feel driven by it.

Being Here - with the moment, the activity, the person at hand is being open, alive, in touch with actual Reality - with life as it flows. It’s the alternative to living our lives overwhelmed, ungrounded, with a sense that life is just the same-old thing, that it feels like a blur that we are not really engaged with, that we’re not finding joy or inspiration in this mysterious, ever-changing experience.

Mindfulness is connecting with Awareness itself - where we can choose what we are aware of. We can see where our attention is, and be able to bring it from all the places it can roam, back into the fullness, simplicity and truth of this very moment.

Most of the time we’re living in stories - in images, in other words - in our imagination. Living out of stories of an imagined past, or projecting that past onto an imagined “future”.

Both are recipes for missing real life, and for feeling powerless or overwhelmed. Who has any power over past memories or future fantasies? Both are recipes for anxiety, depression or a mixture of both.

Meanwhile, Reality, real life, is happening! - the beauty of the sunlight flickering on the trees outside my window, the fragrance of an orange at breakfast, the joy of cutting vegetables for a soup, the pleasure of sipping that wonderful soup and seasoning it just right, the appreciation of being able to take a full, deep breath, the peace of being here now!

Each moment takes care of itself - we’ll live the next moment, when it arrives to become that present moment. Life becomes so simple - and so full!

A valid question is, “What about when the present moment doesn’t feel joyful, it feels painful”?

I heard Thich Nhat Hanh answer this question, posed by a young father whose wife had survived a terrible accident and was left paraplegic. I was waiting with full attention to hear his answer, as I am sure you are waiting right now!

His answer was that it was even more important to connect with the present moment, where significant care and connection were possible The present moment is much kinder, more gentle and full of potential choices than an entire situation we conceptualize, imagine, judge and carry around with us as a solid entity - as a heavy narrative, chock-full of beliefs, stories we are completely convinced are true, projections of a future we are so sure of - even though none of us can, or ever could, see the future - because it doesn’t exist! The “future” is composed of all the present moments we are living, which we eventually call “the future”.

When I began writing this post, what I am writing now - would have been called “the future”.

As I write this post, the beginning of it would be called “the past”.

Neither really exists - except through visiting past/future thoughts in our imagination. Of course, it can be lovely to reminisce, look at baby pictures and wander down memory lane. It can be valuable to map out our plans for the future - by choice; but it’s quite a different thing, to be caught in something that is not real, yet at some level we are living as though it is. This usually brings suffering of some kind - because we don’t feel that we’re free. The power and vitality of being alive is lost to us. Life slips through our fingers while our attention is elsewhere.

That’s why I love that simple - but powerful - exercise of: Stopping, just taking a minute or two, to simply look around your room - there’s the window, there’s a table, there’s a picture, there’s my cup of tea - take your time to really connect with each of them. Then ask, “In this moment, am I okay?”

You’ve returned to yourself. You are at home in your world, fully present, open to the experience of being alive. Now you can choose how you would like to engage and create the next moment, then the next, then the next, then the next. This is the practice of Mindfulness. It’s rightly called “practice”, because we do it again and again. We’re bringing freshness and clarity to each moment again and again - because many thought patterns are habits! Like any habitual pattern, it fades when it is seen clearly and not reinforced by repetition!

It makes such a difference to our lives! Any activity carried out with our awareness in the present moment - taking a walk, washing dishes, baking cookies filled with the secret ingredient of Mindfulness, will bring you Home!

There’s also the component of difficult, painful feelings. Sometimes, it just HURTS! This is when we bring Mindfulness to ourselves. Really bring your awareness to the feeling itself. You can feel it right there in your chest or your stomach. Bring your kind attention to it in the same way you would hold any aspect of your life occurring in the present moment.

Your pain doesn’t have to be frightened of itself and try to get away - rather it can be held - as it is - in your awareness. I think of the presence of Mindfulness as being like a kind, caring mother who understands that life can feel confusing, lonely and very sad at times. Our Mindfulness has a very healing component to it. Just bring that caring attention to enfold the feeling, perhaps resting your hand on the place that hurts. It is like a wise, caring mother who holds the sobbing child, allowing it to be, until it naturally subsides. We can invite her, for feelings both big & small. She is always there.

I have attached a wonderful video with Thich Nhat Hanh on this subject, which I am sure you will enjoy!

Enjoy the Sunshine!
Enjoy the Rain!
Enjoy Everything!

It’s Still Summer!
Lynda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Ka2RS0UC4

MINDFULNESS EVENINGS - ONLINE

29/8/2020

Hello Everyone -

Hope you are enjoying your day, and enjoying the Present Moment - which all of us share! We are all here, together, now, when you think of it!

Realizing that it may still be some time before we will be meeting again, in person, I was considering how we could still meet to continue, or begin, our work with Mindfulness.

I spent a few hours today, learning how to use Zoom and how to invite all of you into Mindfulness Evenings, Courses etc. Quite exciting! The only thing missing would be the treats at the break!

In keeping with this, I am thinking of providing the first Virtual Mindfulness Evening, from the comfort of our homes, on Friday evening, September 18th from 7 to 9 p.m.

It is very easy to attend.
The cost would be $35 for the evening, which could be paid by
e-transfer (receipts for insurance purposes are available).
Registration would close on Wednesday night.
You would receive the invitation and link on Thursday evening.
You could just click onto this link at the time of the meeting, 7 p.m. on Friday evening. I believe you could click on at 6:45 p.m. or so, and be ready for the “opening of the doors” at 7 p.m. Sounds like fun!

Please advise by return e-mail, whether this is of interest to you.
This is not a commitment to attend, but just to see if there is interest.

I am thinking that these meetings could be held on a regular basis, perhaps monthly, so our experience and understanding of Mindfulness could develop and deepen, bringing us greater ease and wisdom, and greater presence in our lives.

The foundation course:
HEALING PRESENCE
Transforming Stress Into Peace & Well-Being
The Way of Mindfulness

which takes place over 6 weeks, may be offered as well. - all from the comfort of our homes!

The first step is to see whether there is interest at this time.
If so, please send a return e-mail, to indicate that this is of interest to you.

Please continue to enjoy - and be aware of - each moment of being alive on this Lovely Saturday Afternoon!

Speak with you soon!

With warmest wishes,
Lynda

A MINDFULNESS MESSAGE - KEEPING OPEN, KEEPING IN TOUCH

23/8/2020

Hi Everyone -

   How are all of you? I miss you!
I think of you often - well, not ALL the time - but certainly 2 or 3 times a day, every day!

   Whenever I read something wonderful, or come across an idea particularly well put, or have an insight of my own - I can’t help thinking of you, and imagining how these would be great ideas to share at a Mindfulness Evening or on a Mindfulness Retreat Day!

   I had such an insight this morning, walking under a wide expanse of blue sky! I wrote it down as soon as I reached pen and paper - not to lose it -
and thought I would share it with you.
Here it is! Read it slowly, see if you can get a sense of the idea.

Noticing how, as soon as a judgement arises,
my mind narrows.
Just as if the aperture of my mind and heart shifted -
from an outlook as wide and spacious
as the infinite blue sky,
seen from an airplane or from a high mountain,
Narrowing
to a vision with definition.
As if a line were drawn around each object,
each person,
setting them apart from me.
Even more poignantly,
a line drawn around myself as well.
Suddenly, there’s a Me…..
Separate and distinct within my environment,
separate from the world,
separate from you.
A Me - now defined and defended.
But that’s okay!
Because I can notice what has happened -
And open up again!
Try it!
It’s Beautiful!
Unencumbered by opinions, attitudes and judgements -
which there is no need to believe - and be burdened by,
All that remains, is to be open, aware, present, in touch,
with Life, with Reality, as it flows.
And Flow It Will.

   I have also attached a wonderful 3-page cartoon, which I think you will enjoy! You might want to zoom in if you find the lettering to be small.

   Take good care of yourself.
   Take good care of the rest of us.
   Be happy!
   and aware of the unique nature of these times!

See you before TOO long!
Lynda

https://mcusercontent.com/aeb5924e9c946a045ed2ccd3f/files/f40e396f-074b-4bd8-9c1f-90106544cbc5/cartoon.pdf

MINDFULNESS - WHY IS THE PRESENT MOMENT SUCH A BIG DEAL?

27/7/2020

Hello Everyone -

How are you doing? So lovely to connect!

So, why IS the Present Moment such a big deal?
Why is it always emphasized and seen as a pathway to peace, well-being and contentment?

Because, otherwise, we are living in our imagination.

We fluctuate between projecting the past onto the brand new present, or onto “the future” - which in fact, we are only able to fantasize.
It’s all just a process of thinking.
It’s like story-telling, or watching a movie - don’t forget your popcorn!

It would all be relatively harmless, except that “past images” and “future images” have the potential to usurp our lives.

We also BELIEVE them! We take them to be the Truth! They keep us trapped, replaying events, continually re-imaging what is over. Or we project them onto a “future”, which we are likewise imagining.

Knowing at some level that we can’t do anything with situations that don’t exist, we can feel dis-empowered, nervous and anxious. Our thinking is actually creating suffering.

We even image each other! We see each other through configurations of memories, beliefs and short-hand conditioned interpretations, rather than witnessing the unique, magnificent and mysterious being each of us actually is!

This is why the Buddhists refer to our journey through life as a “Path to Liberation”.

The Way Out - the exit ramp - is to Stop and Become Aware. To recognize that we have been watching a movie - fully engrossed actually. Watching a movie starring ME in all the scenes!
Simply this “Waking Up”, this realization that we have been caught in our imagination, brings us automatically into the here and now - into Reality, where we can now be effective in some way. It “snaps us out of it” - we are awake and in touch with the moment, the reality of our life & being alive. But how long does it last? How long is it before we are back, drawn into the movie theatre with all its drama, conflicts, judgements, terrors and certainty that we are right? This is why we practice. To strengthen this awareness, our presence and openness in our own lives.

It’s always the present moment - whether we are lost to it, or enjoying it. The present moment is also very manageable! Moment by moment, it is so simple! We live one moment at a time!

We can connect with what is real!
We can also connect with clarity, our own judgement, intelligence and creativity - and we are able to respond in the most effective way for all concerned. A response that speaks to the living moment.

We are letting life unfold and enjoying being part of the experience.

We are engaging with life, with interest and curiosity - rather than working so hard to control it!

It’s an insight and a shift in perception that makes ALL the difference. It brings us out of feeling stuck or overwhelmed into being fully alive.

Actually, it’s interesting to consider, “Who would I be - without my story”?
Wow - really worth considering and reflecting upon how liberating and expansive that could be!

In Buddhist terms, we would be able to access the underlying peace that is always within us.
To live in what they call the “Spaciousness of Being, the State of Grace”. This is in contrast with the nature of the “Conditioned Mind” - the place of beliefs, defenses, fears, fixed positions and who we have “learned” to be. Our default position.

Our little exercise of Stopping, looking around at objects around us - a chair, a cup, some pens, the window, a tree outside the window, a bird as it flies - for a few minutes, then ask,
“At this moment, am I okay?” brings you right in touch with the peace and well-being of the present moment. As Thich Nhat Hanh would say, “invite this moment several times throughout the day, and live out of the peace, joy and inner stillness it brings.”

Even in this time of Covid, with its uncertainties, live moment by moment, awake and aware, in peace and stability, with clarity, confidence and creativity.

I am attaching a post for you, from Brain Pickings, a site I am sure you will enjoy - presenting a new book called “Yes to Life”, a compilation of Viktor Frankel’s writings, not previously published. Also, if you are looking for a book on Mindfulness and its application, I love “Our Pristine Mind - A Practical Guide to Unconditional Happiness” - how’s that for a title!
I enjoyed it so much, all the pages in my copy are underlined, with comments filling every available space. I even took it to a store to have the binding changed for a spiral one!

Wishing you wonderful moments of enjoying this Glorious Summer - of drippy watermelon, sweet berries, sunshine and rain - soft cooling showers and dramatic thunderstorms alike.

We are all at home and in touch with each other in the very same present moment.
We can all meet there!

Much happiness!
Lynda

https://mailchi.mp/brainpickings/viktor-frankl-susan-b-anthony-frederick-douglass-virginia-woolf?e=cfdd374a20

SUPERVISION AVAILABLE ON INCORPORATING MINDFULNESS INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE

26/7/2020

Hello Everyone -

I am happy to advise you that I am providing supervision for Psychologists, Psychotherapists, and Social Workers, on incorporating the vision and skills of Mindfulness into your clinical work.

These sessions are recognized by the Ordre des Psychologues du Quebec as fulfilling the Continuing Education Accreditation requirements for Supervision.

At present, sessions will be conducted by telephone or by Zoom.

Please feel free to contact me by return e-mail or by telephone, at: (514) 694-5580 for further information.

Looking forward to speaking with you!

With All Best Wishes,
Lynda Ryan

ENJOYING MINDFULNESS

7/7/2020

Hi Everyone -

How are you doing?

Hope you are enjoying the present moment.

I also hope you are taking good care of yourself. That can mean peaceful strolls, comfy afternoon naps and lovely evening soaks!

Don’t be surprised if you have found yourself to be tired lately, a great deal has been happening. It’s a lot to process, come to terms with, and try to understand.

My view of what’s happening is something I feel so strongly ”in my bones”.

It’s clean up time!

It’s happening at every level.

The whole of humanity has been slowed down, so we can see - and integrate all that is happening. Long-standing issues, no longer being tolerated & accommodated.

Social justice issues - racism and poverty.

Corruption and greed in leadership - along with its resultant effects.

Abuse of power - need for police reform and me-too revelations to promote TRUE gender equality.

Even attention and awareness is being honed, through increased care given to everyday situations. How we shop. What we touch. A full deep breath is now, very clearly, a precious thing.

So much is configuring together in such a short period of time. It is so strongly felt, that people are willing to risk their health and possibly their lives to protest and push for change.

In Psychology, it is a fundamental principle that everything that is blocking the system, that is preventing healing, has to rise and be consciously seen, felt and recognized before it can be let go, for new energy and vision - a new life you could say - to arise. Then it does. Organically and gradually - it comes to be.

Evolution doesn’t move in a straight line, but it does, surely, inevitably and mysteriously occur. Even statues, flags and symbols are being pulled down. Racist names given to sports teams and landmarks are being changed - world-wide. They have been tolerated till now. But they don’t belong to the future that is emerging. A future based on respect.

I am hoping that these thoughts may alleviate any fears or anxiety you may have been feeling. There are multiple, positive processes underway - it can be messy. But what is needed most now is patience. And trust - in the Wisdom that underlies and runs through all of Life.

Returning to the present moment, again and again - and living in that state of peace, contentment and joy, provides an anchor of stability. An unmovable presence within each of us that we can depend on.

The exercise I shared with you, of stopping throughout the day - just to stop - look around for a minute or two, to see everything in your room, to see all the beautiful ways life is supporting you, and then ask, “In this moment - am I okay?”

I know that all of you are!

The answer, “Yes”, is the tuning in, to that presence and source of strength.

Here is a lovely poem for you from ancient China:

The truth you search for cannot be grasped.
As night advances, a bright moon
illuminates the whole ocean.
The dragon’s jewels are found in every wave.
Looking for the moon, it is here,
in this wave, in the next, in the next.
Xuedou (980 - 1052)

Enjoy summer, enjoy sunshine, enjoy storms, enjoy your breath, enjoy everything!

Warmest wishes,
Lynda

MINDFULNESS DAY TO DAY

13/6/2020

Hello Everyone -

How are you doing?
Many of us are WELL into sequester by now!

I am hoping it has given you more time and space to reflect, to get a sense of what is really important to you and to your life.

Without this space - to really see, to truly allow reality to sink in - I don’t think the awareness of the full weight of social injustice, of police excesses, and the heart-felt demand for change which we recently experienced, could have occurred. The opportunity for the massive, long over-due response, has pushed existing boundaries and status quo thinking into a significant shift, opening the possibility and likelihood of REAL, tangible, change to take place.

Without this space, we would have been horrified, but too caught up in the wheels of being too busy, too overworked, too preoccupied with driving kids to arenas, making ends meet, running after what we think we need and how we think we have to be - to have truly seen the reality before us, and for people to have been effective in responding to it.
The same pattern can take place whether it be at a social or an individual level.

This is what Mindfulness is all about. It is about being aware.
It’s about waking from the repetitive dream states we are habitually living in.
It’s about waking to actual reality rather than living out of the stories we are telling ourselves. Stories that run like perpetual-motion machines, that keep rotating in our head, dictating our thoughts, feelings and actions. It’s not just you, it’s not just me, it’s
the human condition. Thoughts vary in intensity, but are usually versions of “I need”, “I don’t want”, “you should”, “they shouldn’t” etc. - seldom a new thought, they often feel tiresome and recycled.

Truth be told, when these incessant stories generate fear, sadness and overwhelm, we can feel trapped - not able to see a way out!
Even though it’s all happening in our own mind, it can be very confusing. It can seem as though only some external agent - alcohol, medication, finding a new partner, spending more money could be the answer. I know. It can look pretty grim. Suffering feels pretty grim. I’m feeling pretty tense just writing about it! But I wouldn’t leave you there! There is another way. A self-empowered way.

How have you been with the exercise I shared a few posts back?
Stopping - everything - you can notice your present state, what is moving through you, how your body feels, just simply notice - get in touch with what is occurring in this moment. Look around, see the furniture, the pictures, the window, outside the window.
Notice where you are standing, or sitting, how you are supported by the floor, or the chair beneath you. Breathe. Be a witness to it all. In this moment, are you okay?

Simply be here.
You are back in Reality. Notice the difference in your internal state compared with being caught in mind activity - particularly if it was agitated or overwhelming.
You can experience some quiet.
Some stillness. The noise of the thought machine has been turned down.
(Wouldn’t it be lovely to have it turned so low that you could experience the beauty of silence, the brightness of clarity and the joy of peace of mind?)

This is Mindfulness,
It’s recognizing our birth-right to a peaceful, joyful, creative state of mind. That state of openness to each brand new moment, responding to, engaging with and enjoying each moment of Life as it flows.

There is so much that is vivid, alive and beautiful in the reality of this Present Moment - that is obscured, drowned out, even obliterated by habitual thoughts and feelings that seems to over-take us.

There is a Zen story of a guest who came to a Master, to learn the Way of Peace and Tranquility. While pouring a cup of tea for the guest, the Master continued to pour when the cup was already filled, spilling over the brim, spilling onto the floor. The astonished, confused guest questioned what he was doing. To which the Master replied, “When your mind is already full, nothing, no matter how wonderful, no matter how precious, is able to enter it”.

This is what we do when we stop, return to the simplicity of here and now. We can experience an open, spacious state of mind, where we can think and see clearly - without the imagination generating stories from a now fictional past onto a fictional future - stories that we believe!

This is why we sit, to practice, for 5, 10, 20 minutes in that quiet state. We sit quietly so we can “cultivate” it, so it can take hold in our mind - and be there when we need it, and change the quality of our life.
We empty our cup, so we can be open, be awake and be free to make choices.
Pierre Trudeau used to say that he needed to canoe on a silent lake in Mont Tremblant on week-ends, just to “empty his mind”.
It’s a wonderful gift - and a life changing insight.

Meanwhile, I am hoping you are enjoying this Beautiful Season - really seeing the sunlight flickering on the leaves, really tasting the tangy raspberries, the fat blueberries and the juicy strawberries! Being fully in your life!
Our Mother Earth is now tilting toward the Sunny Side!
Time to bring out the colours, the summer jewelry, and to soak up some REAL Vitamin D.

My recipe for the Cornmeal Pancakes with Kumquat Sauce, which I referred to a few posts back, has been requested, and is attached. Since kumquats (small tangy oranges) are no longer in season, I am going to attempt the same sauce with chopped
organic oranges, including some peel, to see how that works!
Enjoy pancakes, enjoy berries, enjoy sunshine, enjoy rain, enjoy everything!

All warmest wishes,
Lynda

https://mcusercontent.com/aeb5924e9c946a045ed2ccd3f/images/acee2a10-4bf7-48b9-8a75-e6fbfda3a2df.jpeg

MINDFULNESS AND THE ALLEVIATION OF SUFFERING

27/5/2020

Hello Everyone -

Hope you are all well and happy!

The statement above is quite a strong one to make about the power and effect of Mindfulness in our lives, don’t you think? Yet, it’s absolutely true!

One of the cornerstone teachings in Buddhism is that of The Four Noble Truths.

The first is the Truth of Suffering - that, we can certainly acknowledge is true - that suffering is a component of the human experience.

The second is the Truth of the Cause of Suffering - often described as wanting what we don’t have and not wanting what we do have - commonly referred to as attachment/clinging and aversion/avoiding, denying, pushing away, attempting escape. You may have noticed that neither of these includes contentment or peace of mind.

The third Truth is The Cessation of Suffering - that it can come to an end!

The fourth is The Way to that Cessation - how to do it! Mindfulness is that way.

Mindfulness has become very prominent in the media and is the subject of a great deal of research - pretty well because it is so effective in dealing with personal, relational and social forms of suffering.

Mindfulness is very simple, yet very profound. It refers to the ability to be present.

In my last post, I offered the suggestion that you stop whatever you are doing, such as reading this message, and just look around at the room you are in. Notice the pieces of furniture, pictures on the walls, the light coming into the room, the window, outside the window, for a minute or two. Go ahead. Take some time to do it. I’ll wait.

Now ask yourself, “in this moment, am I okay?”

Notice your answer. Notice the full depth of your response.

Isn’t it intriguing that when we are living in present time - just simply this moment - we can experience stillness and we are very deeply okay. As if the mind has Paused.

We can connect with our own being, with our open clarity, with the sense of the situation and how best to respond.

Why isn’t our life always clear, simple and straight-forward like this?

The answer is simple. Usually there’s a lot of interference going on, mind activity, noise generated by random thinking and firmly-held beliefs - then projecting all of this onto each brand new moment.

Not only does this rob us of our freedom and ability to live our actual life, with clarity, vitality and contentment, but they also impose perceptions which are often repetitive and outworn. They bring no joy!

It’s the difference between living in REALITY - with endless possibilities and choices, or living in a story we’re making up, and telling ourselves.

The content of these stories, these on-going narratives, can only pertain to images of “the past”, or to images of “the future”, kind of same old, same old. Neither holds the openness, sense of possibilities and vitality of being present to this unique moment of our life, occurring now.

Our actual life only ever takes place NOW and we can be open to welcome each moment as it flows.

Stopping periodically throughout the day to stop, to look around, to connect with your own presence is deeply restorative and enlivening. In that moment we are in touch with our own authenticity, with our own actual life. The only time we ever live is now - in this Present Moment.

Moment by moment, life is not only very manageable, but vividly alive - an open adventure. Even in a situation we might describe as “difficult”, we are free to live it in the way we think best, with interest, care, and a sense of freedom.

I edited a segment from a talk I heard recently by Byron Katie, here it is:

What a Lovely Morning! I am assuming this is also true for you! There is nothing going on in my head to interrupt that experience.
I am observant now, waiting, for some idea, concept, some memory or event in the mind - or in the mind’s eye - to interrupt this well-being, this serenity.

So far - so good!

Okay - Bring It On!

I’m waiting for some “past” or some “future” that would either depress me or bring anxiety - those stories of “not-now past” or “not-now future”.

They are invited to step forward - show themselves!

Which of them could move me from this present experience, into an illusion that attempts to replace the reality of this moment now - which continually is?

Just waiting here for a “not-now” to come like a tidal wave and take over this free-spiritedness.

So far, so good!

I’m open to SEEING it - rather than have it creep in and take over, without my awareness of what just happened!

So far, so good!

Good Morning!

I see Mindfulness as something of an up-grade as to how we can use and make the most of our mind - and our life!
I have tried my best to make it clear, it becomes more a part of us the more we practice it. I’ll speak more to that in my next post.

Meanwhile, I hope it will be an interesting - and liberating concept to “try on”, see how it fits, and experience it for yourselves! You can play with it!

I am also hoping that it will bring some spaciousness and greater confidence in how you perceive, process and respond to this unique situation we are all living together!

Continue to be Free and Happy - Right Where You Are!
I've attached a very special song for you here!
Warmest wishes and thoughts!

Lynda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEfxkSxppI4

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY

9/5/2020

Hello Everyone -

Thinking of you, and hoping you are finding peace and well-being during these Days of Beautiful Weather and Sunshine - even if we are experiencing them mostly through the Window!

It’s also Mothers’ Day! A unique one! No restaurants, flowers, perfume or chocolates - although we can still make our own cards, make paintings of flowers and can still write poems and sing out our love for Mom! (Breakfast in Bed is still an option!!)

Mothers’ Day has even wider implications - it’s a wonderful occasion to acknowledge that loving, care-giving and nurturing spirit in us all!

Thoughtfulness for the lives of others and our wish to be of help is so evident at this time. There is a general attitude we seem to hold, recognizing that everyone is struggling in some very personal and unique way.

There is a greater willingness to be kind and to feel concern, with a sense that each one of us matters.

We know that we are all sharing something vitally important and we want to do the best we can, even though we aren’t sure exactly how things will turn out.
Our hearts are expanded - with greater warmth and openness.

The Spirit of the Caring Mother is touched in us all.

To honour all those who have mothered us, and those whom we have mothered, here is a lovely little poem, for a Mothers’ Day every one of us can celebrate!

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I saw you make my favorite cake,
and I knew that little things were special things.

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I felt you kiss me goodnight,
and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes,
and I learned that some things hurt
and it’s alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I saw that you cared,
and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking,
I looked.
and I wanted to say thanks,
for all the things I saw
when you thought I wasn’t looking.

Have a Lovely Mothers’ Day!
Be Happy and Well.
Lynda

MINDFULNESS AND THE CORONAVIRUS

20/4/2020

Hello Everyone -

How are you doing?

Are you enjoying Spring?

This may be the first one, since we were pre-schoolers, when we have the luxury of fully immersing ourselves in this beautiful season of bird song, gentle winds and warmer days. We can revel in the reliable force of Nature - to burst forth with the new life that has been germinating invisibly beneath the ice and snow!

Have you been finding the exercise I shared in my last post to be helpful? I love it! Such a natural way to return to the simplicity and reality of the present moment.

Just stopping - you can do it right now if you like….
Just stopping, and taking a minute or so, to simply look around your room -
at the objects, pictures on the walls, the window, outside the window….
then ask, “at this moment, am I okay?”

It’s a wonderful exercise you can do periodically throughout the day.
Perhaps at mealtimes, or when you begin a task such as cooking, or each time you glance at the clock… whenever it suits you.
Keeping very clear to yourself, that beyond the mind activities of thinking, problem-solving, or even ruminating (about the virus?) or worrying (about the virus?) we can connect with the realization, and the deep sense, of being okay.

This is the essence of Mindfulness!
Living moment to moment, with full awareness, with a quiet mind and an open heart.
Meeting each moment as it flows, with curiosity, creativity and compassion.

It is very simple and straightforward to cultivate this mind of deep ease and to enjoy freedom from all the preoccupations of the discursive, story-making mind.

Simply sitting, spending some time in stillness, not imagining into “the future”, not being pulled into “the past”, but just connecting with the present moment, and let your mind rest there. That’s it! Not judging your “progress” or trying to achieve anything, simply allow yourself the gift of Stillness.

Feeling the rhythm of your breath, the steady inhalation and exhalation also helps our mind settle, and enjoy being at peace. We can sit in this wonderful silence for 5 minutes, then 10, maybe 15 or 20 - as long and as often as you wish. Sometimes it is hard to pull ourselves away! That’s when people go on day or week-end long retreats!

Each time we sit, we’re cultivating.
We’re strengthening our resources of calm and clarity.

Each time we sit, we’re clearing a path to that experience of peace and joy.
Clearing through the tangled brush of habitual thought patterns and concerns, to discover that beautiful sanctuary, deep in the forest of our Being.

Each time we sit, we build a steadfast strength.
Like an anchor that always holds us steady through changing and fluctuating circumstances. Bringing wisdom, even when we don’t know.

Each time we sit, we come home.
We are more and more fully grounded in our own authenticity, in simplicity, in the joy and freedom of living from our true, essential nature. Simply, being who we are.
Out of which, flows our own unique clarity and creativity to respond, in each moment, to life as it presents itself!

Our life is transformed.
Through realizing that all we ever live is THIS moment.
This single moment at hand.
We realize that, that is all we EVER live! - What a Relief….

Just this moment?
I can do that!
Just this next moment?
I can do that too!

So simply, we can release all of our gifts, into each of these beautiful moments of being alive.

Dare to live from the peace, the presence and the deep love that emanates from the core of our Being.

I love the lyrics to this popular song, that speak to our need at this time

“Bring me a Higher Love.
Bring me a Higher Love.
‘Cause I can rise above,
With a Higher Love!”

Sing it now! - I can almost hear you!

Wishing you, your families and friends, Peace, Love and Fun - Moment to Moment.

Much love,
Lynda

I have attached a lovely video from Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastery, “Plum Village” in France. It’s Mindfulness as a Way of Life. xxx

https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/

MINDFULNESS AND WELL-BEING

4/4/2020

Hi Everyone -
How are you doing?

I hope you are enjoying your Home Retreat!

Still enjoying my Switchel. While lemon & ginger won’t cure this virus, they do support our immune system, which is capable of producing antiviral proteins in the lungs, should the need arise! Amazing!
Reducing/eliminating processed sugar, getting good sleep and nourishing our body well are all so important now!

So is Peace of Mind!

Just stop reading for a moment.
Look around the room you are in.
See the walls, pictures, furniture, the window,
look outside the window.
Glance down at your body sitting on your chair.
Go ahead - take a few moments to glance around.
Now ask yourself, “Am I okay?”

Very likely, your response - and your entire experience - is,
“yes, I’m okay.”

This is an experience of the present moment.
Your mind wasn’t travelling to future scenarios or feeling stuck in past narratives we somehow feel compelled to re-tell ourselves!

We are simply here - present - to our surroundings, to what we see, to a sense of our presence here and now. And we are deeply okay.

This is the essence of Mindfulness - to cultivate and live from - that beautiful, vibrant experience of being alive, right now.
There is a freedom of spirit that can arise, not eclipsed, distorted or drowned out by the repetitive stories we endlessly tell ourselves. Stories, - like roads we feel drawn down, that we have travelled down probably hundreds, if not thousands of times. We know what’s down those roads - probably not much if we’re honest - yet they rob us of our precious moments of being fully alive.

Thoreau, when he went to live on Walden Pond said, “I wish to live deliberately, and not, when I came to die, realize that I had not lived.”

Our intelligence, creativity and freedom to choose are released through fully engaging with the moment at hand, as it arises.

What a relief - all we ever have to live is this moment, now!

Mindfulness practice is taking time to engage with this moment in much the same way as we looked around the room earlier. And to cultivate it, strengthen it, so it's always there for us, like that inner anchor that can always hold us steady.

A practice I like is to take five minutes - or more - place our hand flat onto our chest, and just feel our breathing. Feel it against our hand, or in our tummy, but whichever we choose, we are simply feeling our breath as it comes into our body, and as it is exhaled
out. Simply that! If thoughts arise, that’s okay, we notice them but don’t get pulled away by them. We just simply return to feeling our breath, for this five, ten or fifteen minutes.
Give it a try and see how you feel.

More peaceful?

This is an experience of the present moment.

Your mind wasn’t travelling to future scenarios or feeling stuck in past narratives we somehow feel compelled to re-tell ourselves.

We are simply here - present - to our surroundings, to what we see, to a sense of our presence here and now, to each other, and we are deeply okay.

This is the essence of Mindfulness - to cultivate and live out of, that beautiful, vibrantly alive moment of now - fully open to how we choose to respond. There is a freedom of spirit that can arise, not eclipsed or distorted by those stories we endlessly tell ourselves.

The effects of the practice over time - through setting aside some time each day to practice being present, are remarkable. Greater peace of mind, stability of emotions and overall well-being improve in very noticeable and wonderful ways.
You might bring the first exercise I mentioned into your day. Just stopping, several times a day to pause, to just look around, look outside, feel your body in your chair - then ask, “am I okay?” It’s so wonderful - right there, on the spot.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, whom you may recognize as an author or many books on Mindfulness, has a live stream, guided meditation on You Tube every day at 2 p.m. I’ll attach the first of these below - “Mindfulness, Healing and Wisdom in a Time of COVID-19” - and you can take it from there.
I’ll also include a link to a wealth of wonderful articles and videos prepared by Tricycle Magazine titled, “Practicing in a Pandemic”.
This truly can be a time of growth - of strengthening our minds, expanding our spirits and opening our hearts - together

Here is a Beautiful Blessing we can extend from our hearts, anytime we wish, to whomever we wish, as far and wide as we wish - bringing different populations to mind - particularly those who are very frightened, are physically suffering, are experiencing
tremendous grief and loss, or at this moment are making their transition from this life.
It’s a blessing I extend before bed at night, out to all of you, to our city, to our country, to the planet. We can end our day by surrounding the Earth in these Blessings

May you be Happy.
May you be Peaceful.
May you be free from Suffering,
and the Causes of Suffering. - 3 times

I have a little poem here for your children, your grandchildren, but most of all, for your Inner Child:

There was a cough, and then another.
The little cat ran to her mother.

“What can we do?”, “Well wash your paws,
her mother said, “and all your claws.”

“We’ll stay inside and shut the door.
You’ll laugh and hide and read and draw.”

“And think of all the games you’ll play!
You’ll sleep and eat and then one day…”

“You’ll see the door is open wide -
The sun will shine, you’ll run outside!”

“Just look at how I’ve grown!” you’ll say,
“Since all the time I’ve been away!”

“So wash your paws and don’t feel blue.”
The little cat knows what to do.

“And wait until the morning when
our big, old world is right again.”

Wishing you a rich and fulfilling Retreat! - How often have we longed for a sabbatical, or extended free time to focus on what matters most to us in our lives?
Happy nesting - and being okay!

Warmest regards,
Lynda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2efOoRF_pw

https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/coronavirus-meditations/#taylorplimpton

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