SUSAN’S
Blog

In which we listen to music and search for our hearts

September 10, 2012   |   8 Comments

Today our topic is feeling: What it means to feel, how we meet our feelings in helpful and unhelpful ways, and how it is just plain difficult for so many of us to even know what it is we are feeling. The question, “what do you feel right now,” presents problems for many of us. Some people will tell you... READ MORE

Eyes open in meditation? Really?

September 3, 2012   |   Leave a reply

One of the most common questions I hear about meditation is “why do we keep our eyes open in meditation practice?” This is a very good question and I thought I’d take this opportunity to revisit some of the reasons. There are eyes-closed and eyes-open meditation styles and while both are valuable, they can have slightly different flavors.

On Posture

August 29, 2012   |   5 Comments

When you practice, should you sit on a cushion? In a chair? What are the various ways a person could sit to avoid pain? These photos could be helpful in figuring it all out.    knees and pelvis create a supportive triangle: if you can sit in this way, it is ideal. for some, though, it is too stressful on... READ MORE

Container Principle

August 22, 2012   |   14 Comments

When it comes to meditation practice, no matter how ambitious or committed we may feel, it is not easy to keep our practice going. Things get in the way. We have too many emails to answer. The kids need to get to school. We have an important meeting at 8a and there is still much to do to prepare. And... READ MORE

5 steps to establish genuine confidence

August 20, 2012   |   15 Comments

Buddhist thought has many value-free suggestions for creating lasting confidence. In the video above, I share some of them. As you will see, they are very, very basic but also quite brilliant. The underlying theme is to simplify, slow down, pay attention to details, and have faith–not as an act of wishful thinking, but because as you take these steps... READ MORE

On boredom and the radical act of doing nothing

August 17, 2012   |   21 Comments

Eventually, almost all meditators run into the same problem: boredom. Boredom usually arises in one of two ways—as a constant sense of sleepiness or as a kind of free floating anxiety and agitation. Yes, agitation. I would like to tell you right now that you do not have ADD. If I had a dollar for everyone who said to me... READ MORE

September 12, 2001

July 21, 2012   |   4 Comments

My heart (and everyone’s heart) goes out to the citizens of Aurora and beyond. We all want to do something to help. I decided to repost this piece in case it’s useful. September 12, 2011 There is a Buddhist meditation practice called Tonglen. In Tibetan, tong means “sending out” and len means “receiving.” So Tonglen is known as the practice of sending and taking,... READ MORE

Strong Emotions & Meditation Practice

July 2, 2012   |   23 Comments

One of the very big misconceptions about meditation practice is that it will help you not to feel things too strongly—except for maybe peace, goodwill, and bliss (whatever that means). Eventually perhaps this will become true, but for most us, when strong feelings—especially strong negative feelings—are encountered, we view this as a failure of our practice. Like, if I was... READ MORE

Outer, Inner, and Secret

June 27, 2012   |   6 Comments

It could be said that meditation practice works on three levels simultaneously. To receive support for your practice, please join the Open Heart Project!

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