Image: Wavebreak Media Ltd.


Here's a 10 minute meditative break you can take in your chair to relax, release and refocus. When we think we're way to busy to meditate...is exactly when we'd most benefit from taking a few quiet moments. Give it a try, you might just find that time works differently afterwards ;)

Breathe deeply, practice often, be well.


Dana Wyss Healing Arts
http://www.danawyss.com/

Photo by Dana Wyss


In practice, we work to strengthen our ability to see what IS, as it is. We work to release our tendency to reflexively judge and label (and thus distance, minimize or render incomplete): our feelings, our experiences, ourselves, the presence and actions of other people. When we allow such reflexive responses to remain unseen and unchallenged, we are unable to truly see what's happening, and we are then severely limited in our capacity to respond. Typically, in such situations, we'll only be able to react, and in ways that we have done so previously - whether they actually serve us in the present situation, or not. So, we practice looking without applying judgment, and over time, we begin to understand things through a wider and kinder lens, and we begin to see our choice in how we respond. In some cases, we'll be seeing for the first time that we can respond, rather than simply react. Alongside this new understanding we are developing a new perspective. The difficult others we're engaged with (or the difficult parts of ourselves) can be seen, more and more, as whole complex beings (or parts of our whole being), no longer simply irritations, nasty names, or one-sided nuisances to be eradicated as soon as possible. On the personal level, within an individual experience of life, this can bring a great deal of understanding and reduction in suffering.

What does this look like when applied in a larger context?

What does this look like when taken into the most contentious and dangerous human social and political relations?

Recently, I had the awed pleasure of seeing a model of this. In The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer's masterful documentary, we see responses and relating that, quite frankly, I've never seen anywhere. The fact that this film exists at all is astounding. In this film, we follow Adi Rukun as he tries to forgive the killers of his older brother Ramli, who was slaughtered in the genocide that took place in Indonesia in 1965. Born in 1967, Adi never met his older brother, and has grown up surrounded by his brothers murderers: they live in his village, they shop in the same markets, they run the schools his children attend, they rule the region in which he lives. And yet, Adi has not allowed himself to see these men merely as monsters. He has looked, and looked deeply, at their actions, their possible motivations, he has looked at their pain and suffering. And from this place, he finds the grace and the courage to respond in a way that could never have been possible if he'd chosen to simply see them as beasts, hate them and seek revenge. His actions have started a wave of conversations and government involvement around a topic that was sealed in silence for 50 years. It's entirely likely that, without his generous understanding and without his remarkable bravery, this topic would remain in the realm of unspoken things which lie unresolved, poisoning a country from its depths.

This film, the situations it explores, and Adi himself, have a great deal to offer to the ethical and moral development of us all. This is one film that I sincerely hope everyone will see* - the model of Adi is incomparable, and we need to see that such ways of being in the world, such ways of relating to pain and to one another, are possible. Here is a link to watch the film that best supports those involved in making it. I feel confident in saying that doing so will inform you in singular and vital ways.

 
Dana Wyss Healing Arts
Breathe deeply, practice often, be well.
http://www.danawyss.com/


*This film is not violent (rated PG-13), but it verbally depicts extremely violent acts. If genocidal violence is a part of your history, or you know yourself to be sensitive to hearing about violent acts, take care of yourself when determining whether or when to view.

Image: qpickimages


For me, it happened in June. Amidst the circus of a particularly divisive election season, an act of terror. And then another. And another. And finally, what I'd feared for years might happen to me, did. I read the news, shrugged, and thought "what else is new?", and went on about my day. No tears. No moment of silence or reflection. No tremor in my chest. Nothing. Reflecting at the end of that day, I knew it was time for an intervention. My heart was in trouble, and needed my help.

I decided to make the month of July a nearly technology/social media/news-free month. While I'd still need to answer phone and email for work and participate in my online classes, I would not log on to any social media sites. I would only read the news for one hour or less per week at a designated time on Sunday, and would follow that news hour with something nourishing like a walk outside or meditation or time with a friend. The goal was to take control over my information intake while I re-filled the well and re-connected with my heart.

I read books, so many books! Twelve, to be exact. I wrote, took evening walks, visited yoga classes I'd been wanting to check out, started going to the gym again. And while I maintained my regular meditation schedule, I made a crucial change in my practice. Instead of working primarily with insight practices as I normally do, I spent the month of July in a Metta Meditation Immersion. Metta is often translated as lovingkindess, but might more appropriately be described as friendliness. In Metta Meditation, we cultivate this quality and practice extending it to ourselves and to others. Assuming a traditional schedule followed by one of my meditation teachers, I spent four weeks working primarily with this heart-opening, kindness-enhancing practice, a little every day. While I've always appreciated the practice of Metta Meditation, it had never been presented to me as medicine, a balm if you will, that can be used when mind and body are in need of replenishment, when (for one reason or another) the deeper delving of insight practice feels depleting. I'd also never before worked with Metta at such length, in such a continuous way. And what a difference this made!

Through immersion in this one practice for a month, I found a deep replenishment of energy, a return of curiosity, and a deeper rooting of my ability to hold a vast calm amidst uncertainty and discord. After practicing this way for a month, I found myself able to return to that state during daily life, within seconds or moments of encountering conflict or discord. I found my heart more able to stay open and steady, come what comes.

Why does any of this matter? Why am I sharing this with you? Because I see a general erosion of civility, kindness and respectful interaction in our world at large, and in the conversations and interactions I engage with and observe in my own sphere. And it deeply concerns me. I see us tolerating and celebrating terrible behavior from our leaders, from those who have claimed their own stages in the theater of our gaping attention, and also from one another. And I know that this can only take us nowhere worth going. And I believe that underneath a lot of this is fatigue and depletion. Hearts become hardened when they're tired and overwhelmed, and then we're no longer able to really see and hear one another, we're ever less able to speak with clarity and kindness.

Will it solve all our problems? No, not directly, anyway. But taking good care of our hearts and minds is undoubtedly the foundation we'll need in order to work together to create solutions to the problems we face as a globally connected humanity. I've decided to spend another month soaking in the nourishing practice of Metta Meditation. Who knows, I may continue with this throughout election season! If this speaks to you and you'd like to experience this immersion for yourself, I'd love to have you join me for A Month of Metta. In any case, take good care of your heart and mind, friends. Notice what feeds you and what drains you, and give yourself permission to change the plot and habits of your days if you're feeling hardened, ragged, or often fearful. Peace is never far away.


Dana Wyss Healing Arts
Breathe deeply, practice often, be well.
http://www.danawyss.com/