This style of meditation focuses on growing kindness and equanimity within us- something that we can all agree is a good thing! These innate emotions and feelings of connectedness and goodwill are accessible within all of us, and when we allow them to come forth, we can change not only our brains, but also our community around us.
It’s funny how we can see things for other people and miss the obvious in ourselves. When my shoulder didn't seem to be healing up as usual, I eventually began to wonder if I wasn't being offered a chance to look at an old life pattern in a new way. Duh!, as Homer Simpson would say. So I went into meditation and thought about my original shoulder injury.
A friend had recently celebrated her 70th birthday and posed this question: what is your best memory? Lots of memories flashed through my mind. What finally settled was the moment right after my son was born. I remembered looking into his clear eyes and feeling the birthing room with its beeping machines and busy nurses drop away. I knew this person and he knew me. And while I didn’t realize it until nearly twenty years later sitting in my friend’s living room, that moment of bone-deep recognition has helped to sustain me through the ups and downs of mothering a strong, independent child.
It was a beautiful Colorado day, but I was in a funk, doubting myself and wondering if I was on track with my life. To clear my mind, I hopped on my bicycle and headed for the Poudre trail. As my legs warmed up, I asked spirit for a sign, any sign, that I was doing OK and that all was truly well. I didn’t ask out of desperation, but simply put in a request that I could use a little support.
