Neighbor Appreciation Meditation

In the depths of winter, we might find ourselves hunched up, tensed against the cold or the slippery ground, the chill working its way inward from the outside. We might find ourselves retreating to our own cocoons. When this happens, we can practice the meditation equivalent of Chicken Soup - what we could also call Neighbor Appreciation Meditation.

We can settle in to a posture that allows us to feel open and relaxed. You might consciously pull your shoulders back a bit, creating some muscle memory of openness, countering our natural tendency to curl inward when we’re cold. Taking some nice deep….deep…..deep breaths we can allow the body to flex and move a bit. Then, letting go of control of the breath and allowing it be just what the body needs it to be, we can begin to bring our neighbors into awareness, one by one. With each, we can bring to mind a virtue or goodness of theirs that we appreciate, and rest in a felt sense of that appreciation. And then we can offer them a wish for their well-being, and rest for a bit in that wishing. One-by-one, we can move up and down our apartment hallway or street, connecting with the goodness and humanity around us.

We may not know everyone who lives around us, but we can sense into the connection we have of living in the same community, and even more so - of sharing this bizarre, awkward experience of being human. Sure, there may still be barking dogs, blocked driveways, loud music… but there will also be appreciation and connection and, often, a sense that we are connected to a vast network, part of a community, not nearly as isolated as we thought. The cold outside is no match for the warmth of the heart.

We hope you’ll join us this week for any of our zoom, in-person or conference call sessions. In addition, this Thursday at 7PM we begin a six-week Zoom series on “Cultivating Resilience”, led by guest facilitator Paul Epstein. Please see the website for more details and information. The series is perfect for people who are new to mindfulness as well as those who have been exploring it for a while.

May all beings feel the warmth of connection and community,
Your CMP family