We gathered on my living room floor near the flickering stove to start our group meditation. The orange tabby loitered in front of me. The small dog jumped in her round bed, 2 feet away. “So, tell me what brings you here to meditate? “ The cat started to chase a bug. The dog stared… Continue reading Notes from January
Tag: meditation
A walk through backwater sloughs in a riparian forest
It’s like the place where Winnie the Pooh lives. It’s not the grounds to prove physical accomplishments, victories, or achievements. About 11 miles south of Corvallis, off Peoria road, Snag Boat Bend is a simple walk in a quiet place. It offers grass, blackberries, willows, water, leaves and trees. There is a bog. Beavers live… Continue reading A walk through backwater sloughs in a riparian forest
Go With The Flow
“Go with the flow” is the slogan for the Newberry crater area, just south of Bend, Oregon. A nice play of words on the whole lava phenomena. Nature flows with what is. Finding harmony within disharmony. I wonder about how to be more like nature? Natural. Passing a forest where there had been a burn… Continue reading Go With The Flow
Move, Flow, Meditate
We often refer to mindfulness and being mindful. What does this mean? Literally, the character for mindfulness can be translated as “presence of heart.” Gather on the University of Oregon’s EMU lawn at 6:00 p.m., May 22, for Move, Flow, Meditate, a first-time mindful event to awaken to now. Join an actively mindful function… Continue reading Move, Flow, Meditate
Adopt. Cats. Meditate.
I went out and got two cats the other day. I looked online at the local shelter and though the goal was one, I chose two. They did not know each other. One radiated sweet, the other appeared cute and playful. After we got home, one was naughty, one was nice. The cute and playful… Continue reading Adopt. Cats. Meditate.
What is mental health?
We went from headaches to mental health fairly quickly. I asked him what he did for his own mental health? His answer: “I don’t know what it is.” Fair enough. An honest answer! A few beats passed and he asked, what do YOU do for your mental health? Touché! I told him that for my… Continue reading What is mental health?
Time-traveling tortoise
We can time travel, but nobody writes about it. It’s not what you think. When you put me down on the floor back in the winter, you said I didn’t move for days. It seemed like 5 minutes to me. Summer is my favorite time of year. I like to eat the Grandpa Ott… Continue reading Time-traveling tortoise
Meditation provokes potato calm
Today’s group meditation was like a smooth slalom through warm, mashed potatoes. Visualize effortlessly carving left and right down a gentle tater slope. An occasional splatter sprays your cheek. You lick at this flavor of experience. There is only a slight drag on the bottom of your skis, not in an obstructive way, but in… Continue reading Meditation provokes potato calm
Sanctuary. Do you have one in your neighborhood?
Sometimes sanctuaries are just sitting there. You have no idea. I found one today, just a few miles from where I live. Cortesia Sanctuary is in the woods of South Eugene. Cortesia comes from Cortese, a 900-year-old French word, which means “quiet.” Just kidding, actually, it means “a deep, noble courtesy and reverence for the… Continue reading Sanctuary. Do you have one in your neighborhood?
Finding the window out of addiction
“I saw the window, so I took it,” was what he said. This was in response to the question of how did you quit large doses of prescribed pain medication and copious amount of pot smoking? He started out with neck pain and back pain. The pain medication and pot smoking rained down to cover… Continue reading Finding the window out of addiction