The Guardian for this meeting was Zen Arado. The comments are by Zen Arado.

Zen Arado: Hi Candy :)
Candybabe Felisimo: hello
Candybabe Felisimo: I have been disappearing today... are there more [people siting here and I do not see them?
Candybabe Felisimo: giggles
Zen Arado: how are you?
Candybabe Felisimo: I am fine thank you
Zen Arado: no...I'm here on my own
Candybabe Felisimo: whew
Candybabe Felisimo: it was strange
Zen Arado: I am taking session for Xirana
Candybabe Felisimo: I hadnt disappered before
Candybabe Felisimo: : )
Zen Arado: not many around today
Candybabe Felisimo: smiles
Candybabe Felisimo: I guess it is just one of those days
--BELL--
Zen Arado: where are you from Candy?
Zen Arado: if you want to say
Candybabe Felisimo: I am now from NC
Candybabe Felisimo: originally from CA
Candybabe Felisimo: I really enjoyed the conversations the other day
Zen Arado: I can't think what NC is
Zen Arado: :)
Candybabe Felisimo: oh
Candybabe Felisimo: where are you from, may I ask?
Zen Arado: N.Ireland
Candybabe Felisimo: North Carolina, USA
Zen Arado: ah ok
Candybabe Felisimo: CA california
Candybabe Felisimo: smiles
Candybabe Felisimo: it is a huge difference ^^
Candybabe Felisimo: Ireland is wonderful
Zen Arado: if it wouldn't rain so much :)
Candybabe Felisimo: hehe
Candybabe Felisimo: in NC it rains often too
Candybabe Felisimo: does it rain often all seasons?
Zen Arado: yeh summer and winter
Candybabe Felisimo: I have noticed here to o
Zen Arado: rain is warmer in Summer :)
Candybabe Felisimo: giggles
Candybabe Felisimo: I suppose so
Zen Arado: it never gets too hot or cold though
Candybabe Felisimo: well it surely does here
Candybabe Felisimo: I suppose your situation is far better
Zen Arado: Hi Mel :)
Melody1778 Resident: hi
Zen Arado: jjuts talking about the weather
Zen Arado: :)
Candybabe Felisimo: smiles
Zen Arado: I'm getting tired of Olympics stuff already ;)
Zen Arado: not that interested in sport
Zen Arado: I watch some soccer is about it
Zen Arado: you can hardly eeven get any news here
Zen Arado: all Olympics
Candybabe Felisimo: hmm
Candybabe Felisimo: brb in a bit- have laundry to do ^^
Zen Arado: can watch some events I guess
Melody1778 Resident: I don't watch sports at all
Zen Arado: kk Candy
Zen Arado: it sure takes a lot of dedication
Zen Arado: training for years
Zen Arado: have to admire that
Melody1778 Resident: yes, always gives me the thought that I wish I was that talented
Melody1778 Resident: but it is not all talent
Zen Arado: whch sport would you have liked to be good at?
Melody1778 Resident: gymnatics,
Zen Arado: no it's perseverance too
Melody1778 Resident: I love how they can fly through the air
Zen Arado: yes
Melody1778 Resident: I could never even do a cartwheel
Melody1778 Resident: somersault was the best I could do
Zen Arado: me too :)
Melody1778 Resident: I love to walk, ride a bicycle
Melody1778 Resident: but was never athletic
--BELL--
Zen Arado: I would have loved to be a cyclist
Zen Arado: I can do long distance meditating :)
Zen Arado: but no event for that
Melody1778 Resident: what does that mean?
Zen Arado: I go to retreats sometimes
Zen Arado: you sit and look at the wall all day long
Zen Arado: in silence
Zen Arado: for 6 days
Zen Arado: did you ever hear of MBSR?
Zen Arado: mindfulness based stress reduction
Zen Arado: wb mel ;)
Melody1778 Resident: thank you
Zen Arado: did you get my question
Zen Arado: ?
Melody1778 Resident: no
Melody1778 Resident: sorry
Melody1778 Resident: I crashed
Zen Arado: did you ever hear of MBSR? [07:48] MellowDee (melody1778) is offline. [07:48] Zen (zen.arado): mindfulness based stress reduction
Melody1778 Resident: no
Zen Arado: it actually started in Boston
Melody1778 Resident: hmmmm
Zen Arado: a doctor there called Jon Kabat Zinn was a Zen practitioner as well
Melody1778 Resident: just googled it
Zen Arado: and he adopted some of the meditation practice for patients
Zen Arado: he stripped out any of the religious stuff
Zen Arado: and made an 8 week program
Zen Arado: that was more than 30 years ago I think
Zen Arado: and it has been very successful for people with stress related disorders
Melody1778 Resident: never heard of it
Zen Arado: depresson
Zen Arado: and even people with terminal illnesses
Melody1778 Resident: I will read the website later
Zen Arado: there are plenty of books on it
Zen Arado: many psychotherapists now use it
Melody1778 Resident: is there one in particulare you would recommend?
Candybabe Felisimo: back, re reading
Zen Arado: wb Candy
Melody1778 Resident: wb
Candybabe Felisimo: thank you
Zen Arado: not sure
Zen Arado: I'll chack
Zen Arado: check
Zen Arado: one I know is very good but more for people with depression
Melody1778 Resident: my goal is not to reach the stressful state
Melody1778 Resident: to remain calm through all situations I find myself in
Zen Arado: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mindful-Wa...ugh+depression
Melody1778 Resident: as stress is all around us
Zen Arado: it's not just for people who are really depressed
Candybabe Felisimo: MBSR- for Europe, or the world?
Zen Arado: http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Be..._bxgy_b_text_c
Zen Arado: perhaps that one might be better
Melody1778 Resident: yes that looks better
Candybabe Felisimo: I do not recall learning about that... perhaps- yet-
Zen Arado: oh yes it has spread all over the world
Melody1778 Resident: thank you zen
--BELL--
Zen Arado: I have a friend who is taking a Masters degree in it
Zen Arado: I go to an all day session once a month
Melody1778 Resident: I am so glad you mentioned this today
Zen Arado: next Sat actually
Zen Arado: and my friend practices on us :)
Melody1778 Resident: As I was driving home I was thinking about all this.
Zen Arado: the core practice is a body scan
Zen Arado: paying attention to each part of your body in turn
Zen Arado: while lying down
Zen Arado: (usually)
Zen Arado: it hets you away from your endless thinking
Zen Arado: gets
Zen Arado: we don't pay enough attention to our bodies
Melody1778 Resident: and I think things out to the nth degree
Candybabe Felisimo: true
Zen Arado: always in our minds
Candybabe Felisimo: I try not to think to that degree unbless it is on a focused project
Melody1778 Resident: I enjoy thinking
Zen Arado: a lot of our thinking is repetitive
Zen Arado: though
Melody1778 Resident: that is true
Candybabe Felisimo: but I have noticed sometimes I come across something on hte internet, and I must research it to pieces
Zen Arado: like worry
Candybabe Felisimo: exactly
Melody1778 Resident: I agree
Candybabe Felisimo: and that is not a good thing
Zen Arado: nothing worng with thinking per se
Candybabe Felisimo: correct
Melody1778 Resident: but somehow I think that if I think hard enough
Melody1778 Resident: and long enough I will figure out the situation at hand
Zen Arado: but the kind wher you have a problem and keep churning it over is bad
Candybabe Felisimo: yes
Zen Arado: we have intuitive abilities
Candybabe Felisimo: seems to me AHA! moments come when least expected...
Zen Arado: sometimes best to relax the reasoning and let it work
Zen Arado: yes ;)
Melody1778 Resident: yes lately I have been walking away from things
Candybabe Felisimo: well sometimes it is difficult to relax
Melody1778 Resident: and letting it rest
Candybabe Felisimo: me too
Melody1778 Resident: in my mind
Candybabe Felisimo: and it is hard to start
Zen Arado: avoidance not good either
Zen Arado: or denial
Candybabe Felisimo: I am still having difficulty resting the mind
Candybabe Felisimo: I try not to think too hard on some things
Candybabe Felisimo: correct
Zen Arado: you can't stop the brain thinking
Melody1778 Resident: so what is between walking away and active churning
Zen Arado: that is its job
Candybabe Felisimo: but it does happen... maybe best if we can catch it
Zen Arado: but you can step back a bit and become detached
Candybabe Felisimo: hmm
Melody1778 Resident: detached?
Candybabe Felisimo: not always easy
Candybabe Felisimo: takes discipline
Zen Arado: not so caught up in a train of thought
Zen Arado: that's what meditation is for
Candybabe Felisimo: yes
Zen Arado: you see the thinking
Melody1778 Resident: and?
Zen Arado: you get caught up....then release it again
Zen Arado: over and over and over....
Melody1778 Resident: how do you release it?
Zen Arado: that's all
Candybabe Felisimo: by returning to the focal point
Zen Arado: one way is to have something to concentrate on
Zen Arado: easiest is the breath
Melody1778 Resident: sounds like lamaze that I did in childbirth
Zen Arado: so you notice the inbrweath, outbreath...start thing...then come back to the breath again
Zen Arado: yes
Candybabe Felisimo: smiles
Zen Arado: sometimes counting breaths helps at the start
Zen Arado: sounds like it
Candybabe Felisimo: I just think... breathe in... breathe out
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: probably adapted from meditation
Zen Arado: the mind can magnify pain
Zen Arado: especially when we resist it
Zen Arado: suffering = pain x resistance
Zen Arado: is true up to a point I think
--BELL--
Zen Arado: (this break is a kind of meditation)
Candybabe Felisimo: smiles
Zen Arado: some practice breaking off what hrey are doing for 9 seconds during the day
Zen Arado: every 15 mins like here
Candybabe Felisimo: wow
Candybabe Felisimo: but then I imagine having to rethink what time it is
Candybabe Felisimo: so how do they do that without caring what time it is
Zen Arado: you can have a timer on your computer
Candybabe Felisimo: ok, thats when a computer is at hand
Zen Arado: yes
Candybabe Felisimo: good idea
Zen Arado: I would tend to do it at certain times
Zen Arado: not every 15 mins
Zen Arado: and I do a half hour period of meditation every day
Candybabe Felisimo: wow
Candybabe Felisimo: I need to do physical stuff more often
Zen Arado: those books usually have guided meditations on a DVD
Zen Arado: I'll have to go
Zen Arado: I have things to do in RL
Zen Arado: thanks for coming
Candybabe Felisimo: have a wonderful day
Candybabe Felisimo: a pleasure indeed
Zen Arado: you too...both ;)
Candybabe Felisimo: bye bye
Zen Arado: bye for now