A Different Way to Meditate

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Loch Kelly shares with us in his book The Way of Effortless Mindfulness that meditation doesn't have to be hard. In fact, he goes so far as to say that the loving awareness we often are seeking is already within, and has been with us since we were born. 

There are a number of techniques we can employ to help us bypass the controlling of our thinking mind--and this is an important step since thinking is what takes us out of the direct experience of the pure awareness at our core. Below is a very simple "glimpse" that Kelly provides that you can use to try out effortless mindfulness. 
  1. Allow yourself to get comfortable and relax.
  2. In your mind, begin speaking the word "love." Speak the word in your mind, and then pause for a moment. Then speak "love" again. Continue on doing this for about ten repetitions. "Love... love... love... love..."
  3. Now, continue to speak "love" in your mind, but as you do, become aware of the silence between each "love." Notice how between each "love" thought, there is no thought, and yet you are still aware. "Love... spacious awareness... love... spacious awareness... love... spacious awareness..."
  4. Ask yourself, what is aware of these spaces? What does this awareness feel like? Where is it located? 
This is a very simple practice to start experiencing "awake awareness," as Loch Kelly calls it. If you would like to dive deeper, I invite you to join us in person in my upcoming class, The Way of Effortless Mindfulness, which is based on Loch Kelly's book. We will study the book as well as practice the many glimpses, and also share our insights and challenges as we discover the compassionate awareness that is the ground of our being. 

The Way of Effortless Mindfulness is 6:30pm to 8pm each Monday through July, starting on July 3rd. You can register here: https://cslsr.breezechms.com/form/WoEM2023

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