IN

FO

Heart News

Align - Love - Thrive

Our heart team proudly curates a set of teachings, practices and information each month and season to help you live a life of balance, alignment and connection: Yoga! Click through regularly to explore, learn and grow on the path.

Subscribe in the contact form below to get monthly letters and teaching sent directly to your inbox.

Dearest sangha,

To move, to breathe, to stand, to sit, to be - on purpose - this is mindfulness.

There is an energy in the statement that our bodies make when we enter a posture; when we take a stand or when we take our seats. There is a purposefulness and an honoring of place and placement of the body and mind and moment. Sitting or walking to meditate, our posture communicates with us and it makes its own statement. Take a moment to consider that the way we carry ourselves IS the posture of meditation itself.

Awareness has a reflective quality, impartially mirroring back what comes up. There is a knowing that whatever is present will change and so it watches, takes in the present, allows it to unfold and move through and beyond. As awareness, when we take to our feet or to our seats to mindfully meditate, there is no attempt to run away from what is happening. We have the ability, again as this awareness, to face what is occurring, to stick with it, and to observe beyond our thinking and grasping minds. Understanding is born of being the witness to the situation, to the breath, and through our steadfast maintenance of our posture. We may remember that we needn't try to capture the right state of mind, in fact, just in taking our seats, we may already touch our truest nature. The posture is itself the right state of mind.

When we meditate this means that our bodies are first affirming a commitment to presence and to therefore acknowledge and accept whatever comes up in any moment. I'll say it again, we remember that we are awareness, observing, reflecting, receiving and opening. The Buddha is one who is awake to their own true nature. So the point here is to be yourself and not try to become anything that you are not already. There is a freedom and a genuine relief to this truth and it is right here, right now.

We begin with the great question: can you be fully with this breath, this seat or this step? When you meditate and commit to observe what's happening all around and within you, many things will inevitably come up to pull your attention away from the raw experience or the truth of the moment. However, THIS IS IT- this is the practice- we work with all of it. We look at the thoughts, the feelings, memories, impulses, perceptions as the ground of meditation. All of it is working in service to wake you up.

To aid our practice, this month we will look toward traditional monastic settings by engaging in periods of both seated and walking meditation. Basic guidance will be offered along with much room to take your seats and to your feet! Understand that we can hold both of these forms equally and that it is ok if you have never practiced in this manner. What is priority is how we keep the mind and heart. Additionally these forms and teachings will be a beautiful compliment to our sangha as we welcome another weekly opportunity to practice open meditation beginning in mid-October. These practices are a true blessing; this community is a true blessing.

A gorgeous month of satsang ahead, dear ones.

With peaceful heart,

Shastri Meg Lucks / Konchok Dzeden Zangmo

Patanjali's Prayer

Peace Mantra

Completeness

Past Newsies:

September 2022: Taking Your Seat

August 2022: A Crowded Mind Leaves no Space for a Peaceful Heart

July 2022: Yoga is the Journey of the Self...

June 2022: Practice and All is Coming

May 2022: The Altruistic Intention