2011.06.13 19:00 - Meditation

The Guardian for this meeting was SophiaSharon Larnia. The lack of comments are by SophiaSharon Larnia.

SophiaSharon Larnia: hi Stevenaia
SophiaSharon Larnia: hi Roger
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Sophia, Roger
stevenaia Michinaga: you still have your applause flag
SophiaSharon Larnia: yes, had it attached when I last logged in :D
stevenaia Michinaga: smiles, nevermind
SophiaSharon Larnia: how are you? :)
Roger Ormenthal: Hi Everyone.
stevenaia Michinaga: a good day, I enjoyed Eos's email quote, let me find it
SophiaSharon Larnia: waves
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Roger
SophiaSharon Larnia: ah thx Steve, havent checked email yet either
stevenaia Michinaga: A friend of mine sent a quote from a young Tibetan Buddhist who's going into a long retreat: "Keep this teaching at the heart of your practice. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, pause from time to time and relax your mind. You don't have to change anything about your experience. You can let thoughts and feelings come and go freely, and leave your senses wide open. Make friends with your experience and see if you can notice the spacious awareness that is with you all the time. Everything you ever wanted is right here in this present moment of awareness."
SophiaSharon Larnia: smiles
stevenaia Michinaga: I have found it is true about the present
Roger Ormenthal: Thanks for that.
stevenaia Michinaga: thank Eos's friend
stevenaia Michinaga: He will be here tomorrow at this time :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: I havent 'stopping' really, but seeing how long I can stay aware of the moment
SophiaSharon Larnia: stopped**
SophiaSharon Larnia: sighs
stevenaia Michinaga: nods
stevenaia Michinaga: how have you been, any luck w/ your job interview
SophiaSharon Larnia: can I ask you something with little seque? :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: oh thx for asking, I decided it would be the wrong move for me, despite having a very good friend who works there
SophiaSharon Larnia: who wanted me to come
stevenaia Michinaga: thinking back to my job interviews of the past... I can look back and sense the presence of mind I had
SophiaSharon Larnia: hi Paradise :)
stevenaia Michinaga: new place, new people you never met, asking about you, you asking about them... all in the moment
SophiaSharon Larnia: wow nice dress
SophiaSharon Larnia: yes in the moment alright :D
SophiaSharon Larnia: hi Storm
stevenaia Michinaga: hi storm
Paradise Tennant: smiles hiya stev roger .. sophie :) thank you
Storm Nordwind: Hi there
Paradise Tennant: hiya storm gtsy :)
Roger Ormenthal: Hi
SophiaSharon Larnia: Stevenaia texted a quote that we started to talk about
Storm Nordwind: Oh?
stevenaia Michinaga: from eos's email
Storm Nordwind: Ah yes!
Paradise Tennant: smiles and listens

--BELL--

SophiaSharon Larnia: hi Susan
stevenaia Michinaga: hi susan
Storm Nordwind: Hi!
Paradise Tennant: hiya susan gtsy :)
iwandertoo Resident: waves
stevenaia Michinaga: w/o specific direction, you can find yourself more and more being present at specific moments... like at a concert when the world around you dissappears and the engagement of the moment engulfs you
Paradise Tennant: yes ..tastes of life in its fullness :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: yes, and do you physically feel your body slowing down too, or do you continue the same pace?
stevenaia Michinaga: more like stopping
stevenaia Michinaga: seized by the moment
SophiaSharon Larnia: physically
SophiaSharon Larnia: Ive been meaning to ask someone that for a while is all
stevenaia Michinaga: nods, like stopping for 9 seconds, not immobilized
SophiaSharon Larnia: I've been thinking of you a bit lately Steve, in your standing meditation
stevenaia Michinaga: I do that more now, strangely I feel it as meditation, but feels like I am moving towards meditation
stevenaia Michinaga: feel it not as meditation
stevenaia Michinaga: more like practicing
stevenaia Michinaga: I think it's one thing to recognized when you are in the moment, another to "put" yourself there on purpose
SophiaSharon Larnia: can you say more?
stevenaia Michinaga: meditation is trying to get there, but , like the job interview, the concert or for me drawings, I can see myself in the moment then
stevenaia Michinaga: (for me, anyway)
SophiaSharon Larnia: does seeing that take you out of it?
stevenaia Michinaga: seeing it is something I do "after" the moment... thinking.... I was in the moment then, recognizing it later
stevenaia Michinaga: like a dream, you usually know it after the dream is over
SophiaSharon Larnia: :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: hi Parakeet
Parakeet Abrahams: Greetings
stevenaia Michinaga: buy reflecting on being in the moment at another time, I am not in the moment when I am thinging about other times I am in the moment... a paradox?
Paradise Tennant: hello parakeet :)
Parakeet Abrahams: hola
SophiaSharon Larnia: this a group called Play as Being, there is a note card about this group on the stand with an I or the box by the cushion
iwandertoo Resident: waves
SophiaSharon Larnia: just to let you know Parakeet, we record our sessions and post them on the wiki http://wiki.playasbeing.org/
SophiaSharon Larnia: is it ok to include your name?
Parakeet Abrahams: sure
SophiaSharon Larnia: thank you :))
stevenaia Michinaga: assumes Storm meditated more regularly, can you tell us about it from your standpoint ?
stevenaia Michinaga: it meditation something you get lost in, or found in
stevenaia Michinaga: *is
Parakeet Abrahams: WELL, TIME TO MASSAGE MY CAT
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye PArakeet
Storm Nordwind waves
SophiaSharon Larnia: laughs
stevenaia Michinaga: Parakeet, it's always time to massage your cat
Storm Nordwind agrees

--BELL--

Storm Nordwind: I rarely think of meditation is terms of lost or found! :)
Storm Nordwind: *in
Storm Nordwind: Things can fall away sometimes. Clouds can evaporate.
stevenaia Michinaga: more of a leading question
Storm Nordwind smiles
stevenaia Michinaga: nice image
Storm Nordwind: I once learned a meditation that supposedly one could (with long practice) do all the time.
Storm Nordwind: I had no clue when I started that it was true. BUT...
Storm Nordwind: Do you think I do it all the time?
Storm Nordwind: No
Storm Nordwind: But at least I can call it up at will :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: depends on the kind of meditation Steve?
stevenaia Michinaga: smiles
SophiaSharon Larnia: mindful versus, something that I dont really have a name for
SophiaSharon Larnia: going away
stevenaia Michinaga: can't say I have flavors of meditation
Storm Nordwind: Well words fail so easily!
SophiaSharon Larnia: simply just hypnosis I think
stevenaia Michinaga: self hypnosis perhaps
Storm Nordwind: I could call the experience of one method "Ecstatic nowness" - but that falls far short
stevenaia Michinaga: like whistling while you work
SophiaSharon Larnia: my experience has been completely different since I changed body positions
SophiaSharon Larnia: makes me think ive been 'doing it wrong'
SophiaSharon Larnia: that all ive been doing is ralaxing on the porch
SophiaSharon Larnia: relaxing*
stevenaia Michinaga: sounds like it works for you
SophiaSharon Larnia: no, im very uncomfortable
stevenaia Michinaga: I wouldn't expect many to consider work meditation, but I don;t think I;ve been doing ti wrong
stevenaia Michinaga: thinks of a painter foucusing 100's of hour making an image
SophiaSharon Larnia: hehe
Paradise Tennant: work is meditation if you fully surrender
Paradise Tennant: and even every mundane tasks can be meditation washing dishes washing the floors if you really focus
stevenaia Michinaga: grins
SophiaSharon Larnia: let me ask again, do you slow down when you perform those tasks?
stevenaia Michinaga: I think time becomes irrelivant, the day dissapears

--BELL--

Paradise Tennant: hmm there is more precision more care than normally but not really slower
Storm Nordwind: Do you mean, do you *seem* to slow down (as perceived by oneself) or do you objectively slow down (as perceived by someone else)?
Paradise Tennant: i saw a beautiful rainbow this afternoon alight in a pink sky :) it made me think of sl and the wonderful sunrises and sunsets here :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: objectively
SophiaSharon Larnia: and lovely Paradise :D
stevenaia Michinaga: I remember at the retreat... 90 seconds can be to much time... 15 minutes of meditation can be not enough time
Storm Nordwind: We might need to have observers to find out :)
SophiaSharon Larnia: thanks for answering, I know its an odd question
SophiaSharon Larnia: Para, my neice was drawing rainbows, your desription made that pop right in my head first
Storm Nordwind: I know the way that I am can influence the way others perceive things, so I wouldn't even trust an observer I'm afraid!
stevenaia Michinaga: so what slows down or speeds up , you or time, or conciousness
SophiaSharon Larnia: smiles
SophiaSharon Larnia: guyes, I dont mean to say good night so soon, but I'm falling asleep at the keyboard :(
SophiaSharon Larnia: guys*
stevenaia Michinaga: night sophis, sweet dreams
SophiaSharon Larnia: bye and thank you :))
Storm Nordwind: We'll wish you peaaceful and comfortable dreams :)
iwandertoo Resident: waves
SophiaSharon Larnia: haha
Paradise Tennant: good nite sophia
stevenaia Michinaga: (ice cream break)
Storm Nordwind: bring some for everyone!
Paradise Tennant: smiles :) won't go with my wine cheese I am afraid :)
stevenaia Michinaga: save it for later then
Storm Nordwind: Thank you :)
Paradise Tennant: smiles thank you
iwandertoo Resident: loves ice cream
stevenaia Michinaga: you are welcome
Storm Nordwind took a while to find some half-decent ice cream after emigrating, but eventually found one (even though it's still a tad too sweet - though less sweet than most)

--BELL--

Paradise Tennant: smiles which did you find that you like storm ?
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, I will add it to my list
Storm Nordwind: http://www.bluebunny.com/Products/d/...atural_Vanilla
iwandertoo Resident: doc bernsteins
Roger Ormenthal: Thanks for ice cream Stevenaia.
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: I think I've seen this locally Storm, thanks
Paradise Tennant: smiles hard to go wrong with a name like blue bunny :)
Storm Nordwind: :)
Paradise Tennant: likes pistachio gelato preferably in italy :) if possible :) affects the taste decidedly
Storm Nordwind smiles
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, sometimes the place you eat something matters
Paradise Tennant: nods
Paradise Tennant: yes there is a lot to taste and smell straight tracks to the brain
Storm Nordwind: Nothing like the fumes from a score or buzzing scooters with half the riders sitting sidesaddle to flavor your ice cream
Paradise Tennant: or italian sunshine and the scent of oleander
Paradise Tennant: smiles
Storm Nordwind just likes sauntering past Mediterranean vanilla bushes
stevenaia Michinaga: I must go, it's raining nw and I have windows to close
stevenaia Michinaga: *now

--BELL--

stevenaia Michinaga: thanks
Storm Nordwind waves
Storm Nordwind: Careful you don't get your sequins in the ice cream!
Paradise Tennant: we were talking of the fullness of life .. and I think it is being satisfied with this one moment's intimacy of scent .. sound .. sight .. texture ..on a sand shifting .. illusion of time that you just let go of
Storm Nordwind: yes indeed :)
Paradise Tennant: smiles at stev and hopes the rain does not get in :)
stevenaia Michinaga: back
stevenaia Michinaga: smiles, night all
Storm Nordwind: What poise! She didn't dribble even a bit of the ice cream :)
Paradise Tennant: smiles at stev :)
Paradise Tennant: she is grace itself :)
Paradise Tennant: shall we wind down with a meditation ? are we up for that ?
Storm Nordwind smiles
Storm Nordwind: no reason why not :)
Paradise Tennant: ok say 5 minutes .. are you ok with that roger ..susan ?
Storm Nordwind: Ending on the second bell

--BELL--

Paradise Tennant: sigh ... has to sneak out the door quietly but quickly with a anxious puppy :) good nite my friends .. sweet dreams ;) of ice cream rainbows.. and the fullness of now :)
Storm Nordwind waves
Storm Nordwind needs to go check something too. Bye everyone :)