We Begin with Compassion

Last Sunday we gathered to sing, share, listen, breathe, create, reflect, and introduce our first theme: Compassion. 

We began our gathering sing-a-long style, using the digital back up music, but found the tempo a bit slow. This Sunday we plan to create our own beat! We will experiment with sound and tempo by layering drum, triangle, maracas, and assorted percussion into a rhythmic base and then try adding our vocals to that- It will be fun to see what we come up with. Please feel free to bring your favorite percussion – we can especially use a few drums.

”Waking Up I Smile…” continues to be our go to stretch and poem. It is a favorite, and a joyful reminder that any given moment we can begin again. This Sunday we will stretch with the Feelings poem as we recite…

Feelings come and go

Like clouds in a windy sky (2x)

Conscious breathing is my anchor (2x)

Ask your child to show you the movements – from tree top branches swirling in a storm to rooted tree pose, solid, and peaceful. An excellent, tangible way, to physically symbolize the transformation of strong emotion.

Last Sunday we began our discussion with a story about a boy looking to buy a puppy from a farmer with a litter for sale. The farmer tried to dissuade the boy from choosing a lame runt by telling him how disappointed he may be with a pup that would never be able to run as fast or play as well. The boy smiled & lifted the leg of his jeans revealing his own silver leg brace. He kindly informed the farmer that ”he didn’t run too well himself “and the pup needed someone who could understand. 

And so we uncovered the link 

between understanding and compassion. 

This Sunday we will experiment with how recognition, and understanding, can lead to compassion … we’ll play the Feelez game! By breaking up into 2 groups (actors & bystanders) we’ll be better able to experience and explore up on our feet. We will switch off creating/acting out the feeling scenarios (actors) or exploring compassionate ways to respond (bystanders). Come play with us!

Moody Cow Learns Compassion by Kerry Lee Maclean revisits our friend Peter (aka Moody Cow), and introduces us to some of his ”bully” friends. ”Once again, Grandfather, the beloved old steer from Moody Cow Meditates, brings serenity and long-horned wisdom as he gently teaches to compassionately identify with other beings.” It’s a terrific sequel. This Sunday we look forward to sharing Zen Ties by Jon J. Muth.

Our Meditation last Sunday was “The Secret of the Heart Chamber” from Sitting Still like a Frog by Eline Snel, and read by Myla Kabat-Zinn. A simple 4 minute journey to discovering the beautiful treasure of your heart. This week we will practice our breathing with ”First Aid for Unpleasant Feelings” encouraging compassion for ourselves with whatever we are feeling.

In The ART room we have begun our mobiles, and they bloom with the virtues of the heart. This Sunday we will finish them up…         Come and see what you can grow!

We Welcome Winter

Snowy swirls and flurries blew about last Sunday as we met for our first gathering of the winter season. Outside flakes floated and flew on the wind as we unzipped, unmittened, unbuttoned, and sang. Arctic winds danced, we made music, they tumbled, we stretched, they settled, we sat, listened, and shared. How wonderful to begin our workshop again with friends !

Charity Kahn on You Tube with The Loving Kindness Song

The Loving Kindness Song is new for us this season. Charity Kahn’s upbeat & joyful tune sets this metta meditation to music and keeps it fresh on everyone’s mind… what a fantastic song to find yourself humming all throughout the day! This is a keeper, and we’ll be opening with it each week. (See side bar for lyrics)

“Waking up I smile

24 brand –new hours before me

I vow to live them mindfully

                 With love and compassion for all beings” - Thich Nhat Hanh 

We refocused our attention on our muscles, digits, joints and limbs as we stretched full bodies to the “Waking Up” poem. An uplifting 2 minute habit to get into at the start of each new day... or anytime you need to refresh.

 Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda   

By Kerry Lee Maclean.

introduces mindfulness in a colorful, friendly, easy to understand, way. "… Monkey is not so mindful - his Monkey Mind constantly jumping from one thing to another.

 Panda helps Monkey recognize the simple joy of doing what you're doing while you're doing it." Simple and powerfully done. 

We Love clementines! There’s nothing better than the sweet citrus explosion of a clementine… a lovely way to complement the seven food contemplations, and experience mindful eating first hand. A feast for the senses, we spent the first few minutes carefully examining the outside layer in preparation for A citrus challenge. Putting our observation skills to the test we collected and mixed the clementines all back together again, and passed around the basket to see if we could each find our original fruit. What fun! From tiny juice cells – to the jsssh sound of peeling, so much was discussed and discovered in this simple, satisfying,  present moment practice.  

Clementines make winter better.

In her book Sitting Still Like a Frog, Eline Snel uses the delightful image of a frog as a metaphor for mindful practice. Myla Kabat-Zinn soothingly voices the guided meditations which accompany the book. We began with the first meditation, which successfully held the children’s attention while explaining the what, how, and why’s of mindful breathing. It was 9 minutes, but they held on, relaxing into a new position when necessary. We were especially impressed with the wording of the meditation - repeatedly coming back to the frog while keeping it simple, fresh, and interesting. 

 “Eline Snel is a therapist who has been developing meditation and mindfulness training programs for over twenty years, and the founder of the Academy for Mindful Teaching in Leusden Netherlands.”

FROGS FROGS FROGS FROGS GRIBBITT!

Visit our Art Gallery to see the new meditation buddies

We hope to see you this Sunday!

Winter 2014 Overview

Our Winter season BEGINS!

Sunday January 19th from 11:15 - 12:30

At the Davis Memorial, on the common, Petersham MA

What a wonderful time of year to celebrate and practice mindfulness together. With winter upon us, cold, wind, sleet, and snow, outside - contrast sharply with warm fires, marshmallowy mugs of hot chocolate, and fragrant cups of cinnamon mulled cider, inside. Experiencing sensory extremes like these help to remind us how well our senses can help us anchor in the present moment when stormy emotions threaten to carry us away. 

Sitting Still Like A Frog

This season, we will be using Eline Snel's excellent book Sitting Still Like A Frog to guide us in our practice. Personal weather reports, attention muscle workouts, hitting pause on the conveyor belt of worry, the secret of the heart chamber, your inner movie theatre, and a safe place are just a few wonderful, practical, engaging exercises and meditations we will be experimenting with over the next nine weeks.

Come Join us as we 

explore, discover, and create!

Other publications we will be using to guide us…