There is a simple way of resting in one’s heart. This exercise is adapted from the Christian mystical tradition and I’m offering it because I think we frequently forget that there is a rich tradition within Christianity to dive deep within one’s self, even if it is not in general practice.
Good evening and welcome to Monday Group Meditation. We will be sitting from 7:30 to 10:00 PM EST. It is not necessary to sit for the entire extended time, which is set up to make it convenient for people in four North American Time Zones; sit for as long as you like and when it is most convenient for you. Monday Group Meditation is open to everyone, believers and non-believers, who are interested in gathering in silence. If you are new to meditation and would like to try it for yourself, Mindful Nature gave a good description of one way to meditate in an earlier diary, copied and pasted below:
"It is a matter of focusing attention mostly. In many traditions, the idea is to sit and focus on the rising and falling of the breath. Not controlling it, but sitting in a relaxed fashion and merely observing experiences of breathing, sounds, etc. Be aware of your thoughts, but don't engage in them. When your mind wanders (it will, often), then return to focus on breath and repeat."
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There are no special positions or asanas required, simply sit comfortably in a chair and bring your attention to your breath for a few minutes, just to move into relaxed awareness. Then direct your attention to your heart, continue breathing and be in that heart centered awareness.
Feel the tender center that is your heart, there was a time when you were a baby that you actually were that awareness, before you grew and had language, you were this awareness. It is the ground of your being, your essential nature. In our hearts we speak the language of silence, the language of love. So for this time of resting in your heart, just drop your relationship with language. If language arises, just drop it and gently return to resting in your heart.
Breathing and resting in your heart, notice the tenderness and awareness that this is what you are…I am tenderness.
Breathing and resting in your heart, feel yourself surrender to the tenderness…I am surrender.
Breathing and resting in your heart, feel Love, absolute and undiscriminating…I am Love.
Breathing and resting in your heart, feel compassion, absolute and undiscriminating…I am compassion.
Breathing and resting in your heart, notice you are resting in only this moment, when future and past drop away, happiness, peace and compassion bubble up from within.
The idea is to lay down language and all thoughts of anything outside this moment for the time you are practicing and resting in your heart, resting in the ground of your being. When we rest in THIS moment and give up all thoughts of future or past, our essential nature which is love, peace, happiness and compassion have room to bubble up from within our hearts. Meant to be a twice daily practice, the idea is to rest in your heart in the eternal awareness of Now and see how peace and joy literally erupt within our hearts when given the opportunity.
No matter what tradition our practice is rooted in, when we give our full attention to the immediate moment or Eternal Now, the moment expands to include everything. I am That, you are That, all of this is That, and That is all there is.