2009.01.10 01:00 - Mindfulness and Retreats

The guardian on call was Scáthach Rhiadra.   The comments are hers.

This was to be a quiet session, just Fael and myself....

Scathach Rhiadra: hello Fael:)
Fael Illyar: Good Morning, Scathach :)
Fael Illyar: well, morning for me :)
Scathach Rhiadra: morning for me too, its 9 am:)
Fael Illyar: Ah, morning then :)
Scathach Rhiadra: how were the holidays for you?
Fael Illyar: Pretty good ... well, except with getting the flu and being sick for over a week
Fael Illyar: although, in some ways it's refreshing to get the flu for a change.
Scathach Rhiadra: how so, did it give you a break?
Fael Illyar: Well, sort of. Sort of not :)
Fael Illyar: did mean I've been sleeping way more than usual though.
Fael Illyar: it gave me a break I sort of would've preferred not to take but ... somehow I'm still happy about the break. :)
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Scathach Rhiadra: you probably really needed it then:)
Fael Illyar: perhaps :)
Fael Illyar: So, how has it been for you?
Scathach Rhiadra: fine ty, relativly quiet break and a rest from work:)
Fael Illyar: Yes, that's always nice if you're usually busy :)
Scathach Rhiadra: have you been following the phenomenology experiments?

the talk turned to Fael's illness as a retreat experience.....

Fael Illyar: In some ways, getting the flu had me on a weeklong retreat of sorts :)
Fael Illyar: I haven't had time for much of anything else but resting, eating/drinking and getting over the flu. Including being in the Sauna a lot.

Scathach Rhiadra: so the retreat aspect, can you tell me more?
Fael Illyar: concentrating on things that have the flu getting better.
Fael Illyar: and most of the time having my head rather blank (very much lik meditation)
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Fael Illyar: also just doing mostly very basic things.

and then to mindfulness......

Scathach Rhiadra: I find sometimes when I am very tired or fatigued it can be easier to fall into mindfulness, as it were
Fael Illyar: It is, somehow.
Fael Illyar: It's more painful then to not be mindful.
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Fael Illyar: but, of course, mindfulness doesn't mean absence of thoughts :)
Scathach Rhiadra: no I agree, but not so scattered thoughts
Fael Illyar: I'd say the difference is mostly that you're not so affected with the thoughts.
Scathach Rhiadra: easier to let them go?
Fael Illyar: in the case of being tired, it's more like too much effort to believe every thought.
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Fael Illyar: it's believing the thoughts that makes it possibly painful to have lots of thoughts going through your mind.
Fael Illyar: depends on the thoughts of course.

and back to the PaB retreat planned for August......

Scathach Rhiadra: are you going on the PaB retreat in August?
Fael Illyar: possibly, although I haven't sent anyone any kind of notice about it yet.
Fael Illyar: which means, I'm stil undecided about going.
Scathach Rhiadra: ha:)
Scathach Rhiadra: I've already booked to go to the Dalai Lama teachings in Europe in July/Aug, or otherwise I would have considered goting
Fael Illyar: Ah :)

to conscious and unconscious planning...

Fael Illyar: I still have no plans that far ... well, no conscious plans, my unconscious seems to be doing a lot for me sometimes :)
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Fael Illyar: I've been wondering if this being undecided is that I want to go but already have something I haven't moved up to conscious level yet.
Scathach Rhiadra: hmm, sometimes I've made plans to do something, and even when planning just 'know' somehow that I won't be doing that, but still go ahead with the planning anyway
Fael Illyar: ah, yes, sounds familiar
Fael Illyar: it's something you can tell people you'll be doing.
Fael Illyar: or that you plan to do
Scathach Rhiadra: but meanwhile just waiting for it to become apparent what I will really be doing:)
Fael Illyar: keeps people from trying to get you to do things with them at the time.
Fael Illyar: but yes, it's interesting how that happens :)
Fael Illyar: I hope you don't mind the long periods of silence. They tend to be common when at least one of the people involved is not someone who talks a lot.
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Scathach Rhiadra: it is actually quite nice to be silent sometimes, I find I don't tend to 'chat' unless there is something I want to say, more of a listener:)
Fael Illyar: that describes me too :)
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Scathach Rhiadra: well, I must go get some breakfast
Scathach Rhiadra: see you later Fael, namasté

Fael Illyar: See you later Scathach :)
Fael Illyar: It was nice talking to you :)
Scathach Rhiadra: nice talking to you too:)