Day 18

Today’s practice is simple and potent.

It’s like ninja thought work.

And it starts with the breath that you’re breathing right now.

The next few days, we’ll utilize the breath as an anchor for our awareness, a way to cultivate awareness, to practice paying attention, and to refine our focus.

I always say this and I always mean it: I love the breath as the centerpiece of a meditation because the breath is always with us. So we always have access to it. It’s even more readily available than an app on your phone ;)

Any time you need to, you can turn to your breath as an invitation to reset your focus, to reset your attention, to come back to yourself.

Today is an exercise in non-judgment and non-reactivity. It’s, instead, an opportunity to practice maintaining a sense of open awareness, which leads us to steadiness, equanimity, and ease.

A sense of coming into relationship with our thoughts, making friends with our minds.

LEAVE LOTS OF COMMENTS TODAY (Since the comments were turned off these last few days without me realizing it! ) —  How receptive or resistant are you to this kind of thought work?

I’ll suggest again, following your meditation today with Pema’s potent journaling prompt:

“Sit quietly for a few minutes and become mindful of your breath as it goes in and out. Then contemplate what you do when you’re unhappy or dissatisfied and want to feel better. Even make a list if you want to. Then ask yourself: Does it work? Has it ever worked? Does it soothe the pain? Does it escalate the pain? If you’re really honest, you’ll come up with some pretty interesting observations.”

Bonus if you share below to let us know how that exercise went. How the journaling prompt felt. How all of this is landing for you, righT now.

more tomorrow & just enough for now,

Cath