You’re not alone in this
Dear friend,
Last week in our Ferguson Library meditation session (every Tuesday, 12PM, all are welcome), after the guided meditation, one participant shared that she had noticed herself having judging thoughts. The facilitator, Zoe, listened, and then asked, “I wonder if you were having judgmental thoughts, or if your mind was generating judgmental thoughts.” The whole group let out a collective, “Ohhhhhh….. that’s so interesting.” And you could just feel everyone re-examining their relationship to their thoughts. People Power.
Community
As I type this, I’m having a hard time capturing the moment. What I’m trying to convey is the power of practicing in a group. It starts with the few minutes of gathering at the start of the session: people introduce themselves if they like, check in and greet each other. It’s filled with “Nice to meet you”, “Welcome”, “Great to see you again” and “How have you been?” It’s a chance to feel connected, valued, welcomed. Who doesn’t need an extra dose of that on the regular?
Mindfulness
Then there is the guided meditation. People say they can feel the energy level in the room settle over the course of a meditation. I am often amazed at how much easier it is for me to practice when sitting in a circle with others, the pull of distraction outweighed by the supportive presence of others engaged in practice around me. I am delighted without fail each time I open my eyes at the end of the practice (okay, and sometimes during the practice) and see all the legs and shoes of people seated in the circle. I am somehow surprised and smile every time!
Project
And then there are the moments of sharing, reflection and learning that take place after the meditation, like the moment mentioned above. For me, these are moments when other people’s questions shift my own understanding of thoughts, or broaden my perspective, or open a door to a new way of relating to my moment-to-moment experience. We learn and grow together.
One of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott, has famously quipped, “My mind is a bad neighborhood that I try not to go into alone”. When we practice together we each have the chance to make that courageous journey into our own mind - into our own present moment experience full of whatever thoughts, emotions, and sensations may arise and fall away - but we’re never alone (and we usually find that our minds are not such bad neighborhoods after all!)
Perhaps you can join us this week — tomorrow at Ferguson Library in Stamford (3rd floor auditorium, 12–1 PM In Person every Tuesday), or Wednesday at Norwalk’s Main Branch Library (Belden Ave, 11:30AM–12:30 PM).
And if you can’t make it in person, we offer live virtual sessions every week — Tuesday 8:20–9 PM, Saturday 8–9 AM, Sunday 9–10 AM.
You'll be welcomed warmly. We'll practice, learn and grow together.
Sincerely, a fellow human being, breathing,
Erika Long
Co-Founder, Facilitator
Community Mindfulness Project
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