“Eat what you want when you’re hungry and feel what you feel when you’re not.”
- Geneen Roth
Yoga with Dawn
yoga, meditation, and other playful musings
Rosenberg’s Tips for Practicing Mindfulness
Still feeling spacious after my self-retreat in the woods, as well as coming home to Meditation month at Naada, I was inspired to share a few lines from Larry Rosenberg’s book “Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation.” He goes into greater detail than I offer on practicing Mindfulness, and if you find yourself intrigued to learn more, the book is definitely a great starting point.
1. When possible, do just one thing at a time.
People sometimes ask, How can I get anything done if I do only one thing at a time? Actually, we can be more effective. There is better attention and less tension when we do just one thing, and these factors more than balance the time that is saved by doing several things at once.
People also object that being strict about one-thing-at-a-time rule will ruin their social life. Large dinners ask us to eat, drink, talk and listen with the kind of panoramic attention which that situation calls for. Samadhi in action needs to be both steady and pliable, moving from a focus on one person, or on one bite of food, to a wider focus, like a wide-angle lens that encompasses a number of people – less precise in detail but fully alive to the situation.
2. Pay full attention to what you are doing.
Giving our whole body and mind over to a task, being undivided and intimate with our action, is what Chinese masters called giving life to life.
3. When the mind wanders from what you are doing, bring it back.
4. Repeat step number three several billion times.
5. Investigate your distractions.
If the mind keeps wandering to something over and over, it might be helpful to take a look at what keeps coming up. It might be trying to tell you about something in your life that you need to do, or stop doing. Life has a way of breaking into our awareness when our response to it isn’t adequate. When you switch to the distraction – assuming your situation is such that you can – make that your object of focus. Give some time to that, then return to your primary task.
Thich Nhat Hanh on Media
Is living in the present moment at odds with enjoying the media? Can we be mindful and still enjoy the internet and TV and movies and books?
There are good books and movies that one can enjoy. That’s okay – it’s good to enjoy them. But sometimes the quality of the film or book is not good at all, yet you don’t turn it off because if you do, you will have to go back and experience the suffering inside you. That is the practice of many people in our society. Many people cannot be with themselves. They have pain, sorrow, or worries inside, and they read or watch or listen to cover this up, to run away from themselves.
Consuming media like that is just running away and it doesn’t have a lasting effect. You can forget your suffering for some time, but eventually you have to go back to yourself. The Buddha recommended that we should not try to run away from ourselves, but learn to take good care of ourselves and transform our suffering.
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Daily pockets of retreat
After ardently sitting meditation retreat after retreat for several years and then realizing this was my way of escaping my non-retreat life, I decided to take a break. In January 2010 I committed to not sit another retreat until the calling came from a place of wanting to connect more deeply, as opposed to a place of wanting to avoid connection all together.
This December 2011 I was finally ready, but instead of a traditional meditation retreat, I chose a self-retreat based on Metta, or Loving-Kindness. Despite “love” being part of the English translation of this Pali word, it is very different from the emotional train-wreck found Danielle Steel novels filled with passion, sentimentality, desire and possessiveness. On the contrary, it is an unconditional well-wishing or an openhearted nurturing of ourselves and others just as we are.
When practicing Metta it is encouraged that the meditation posture be an expression of the loving-kindness we have for ourselves. Inspired by this, I intended the retreat to be an expression of the loving-kindness I had for myself.
For six days I was in a cabin in the woods with no electricity, no running water, not a house or being in sight. On the first day a lot of fear came up – What if I freeze like a popsicle? What if I fall, how long until someone finds me? Just about when I thought I was going to have a panic attack, I remembered the Buddha taught Metta as an antidote to fear.
Thus began my diligent commitment to repeat my Metta phrases over and over:
May I be happy and healthy
May I be free from inner and outer suffering
May I be held in compassion
May I love and accept myself just as I am
In addition to seated formal meditation, I allowed myself to do other things not part of a traditional meditation retreat with the conditions that they brought me closer to connecting (instead of distracting) and that I did them with awareness. As a result, my days were spent yoga-ing, writing, taking walks in the woods, stoking the fire and preparing my meals.
The first two days were definitely challenging. From the third day until the end of the retreat I felt really connected with the Loving-Kindness practice, to nature, to the people who passed through my mind, to myself. I was loving it. By now it was easy, especially since I didn’t actually have to see or talk to anyone. On my last day a new fear popped up – How can I keep this feeling of connection and Loving-Kindness going in the city???
My guess: making “pockets of retreat” part of each day. Ideal for someone who wants to stay grounded and aware despite all the distractions of city life, as well as for those who are not ready for a full on meditation retreat or self-retreat in the woods. Here are some ideas inspired from my time at the cabin:
- Create three or four Loving-Kindness phrases of your own and repeat them whenever a negative thought enters your mind, or when you have some down time (e.g. walking to the car, waiting in line, etc.)
- Start your morning with some personal quiet time. Could be formal meditation, or simply drinking your morning coffee or tea in bed without the computer, smart phone, or newspaper.
- Limit your distractions by doing one thing at a time. For example, when brushing your teeth, just brush your teeth.
- Eat one meal a day in a quiet place, free from distracting conversations, loud music, things to read. Just as much as we listen to the voice that tells us we’re hungry, we need to respect the voice that tells us we’re full. If eating one whole meal quietly is not possible, then try part of a meal or snack.
- Take a few deep breaths of fresh air daily.
- Spend time in nature regularly. Depending on your circumstances, it could be daily or weekly, or something in between. It could be getting out of the city once a week, walks on our awesome mountain, or a stroll through a park.
Yoga Retreat at Bali Beach Resort
November 3 – 10, 2012
Join Montreal Vinyasa teacher Dawn Mauricio and Toronto Jivamukti teacher YuMee Chung on this seven-day yoga retreat to Bali’s breathtaking north shore. Begin each morning with a dynamic yoga practice infused with meditation, chanting and sacred philosophy, and end the day with a gentle, flowing practice. In addition to the twice daily open-air yoga classes, enjoy delicious organic vegetarian meals, and plenty of leisure time.
Optional excursions include hiking to a jungle waterfall; making offerings at Bali’s oldest Hindu temple; visiting a traditional Balinese healer (we have it on good authority that he is the real deal); and dolphin watching. Or simply relax with a Balinese spa treatment using 100% natural hand-made products.
What’s included:
• 7-nights Shared or private accommodation on the ocean
• All meals
• Daily yoga classes and workshops
• 45 minute private yoga lesson
• Airport transfers
• A Balinese music & dance performance
• Free WiFi
Please note that your flight is not included. Any spa services, optional excursions and gratuities are also extra.
Schedule:
Your days will consist of:
• 2 ½ hour morning yoga session
• 90 minute evening yoga/meditation session
• 6 hours of free time to explore Bali each day
• A full day-off for longer optional excursions
Rates and registration
• Shared room: $1350 CAD (includes taxes)
• Private room: $1600 CAD (includes taxes)
• Add $100 for an air conditioned room
A non-refundable deposit of $500 CAD is required to reserve your spot. Balance to be paid in full by October 1, 2012.
Balance may be paid in-person via cash or cheque, or with a credit card via Paypal (add 5% transaction fee).
We highly recommend that you invest in travel insurance for your trip to ensure peace of mind.
Teachers
YuMee Chung and Dawn Mauricio (see below)
Venue
We will be hosted by Villa Boreh Beach Resort and Spa. Located on the north east coast of Bali in a sleepy fishing village, Villa Boreh consistently receives rave reviews for its beauty and hospitality. The area we will be visiting is protected by mountains and has its own microclimate. In other words, it gets very little rain, even during the rainy season.
More information
Email us with your questions and to indicate your interest in attending
Optional excursions
We will be using PlanetAir to offset our personal carbon emissions.
Dawn Mauricio (Montreal)
After discovering meditation in Northern Thailand, Dawn was hooked on the spiritual path. Soon after, she gave up her PR job to become a yoga teacher. Teaching full-time since 2006, Dawn has a playful and dynamic approach that draws from her experiences in Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Kripalu Yoga, as well as Mindfulness Meditation. Dawn continues to sit regular silent meditation retreats and has completed over 1,000 hours of training. She is the founder of Yoga Mala Montreal, a non-profit organization that unites the yoga community in fundraising events to bring yoga to underdeveloped areas.
YuMee Chung (Toronto)
YuMee Chung is a former securities lawyer who left a busy practice to engage more deeply with life. Named in Yoga Journal’s February 2008 listing of yoga’s “who’s who,” she is an Advance Certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher who is also trained to teach Ashtanga Yoga and Yoga Tune Up. She has taught and spoken at national yoga conferences and she completed a tour of 19 North American cities at the end of 2006. Today, she is a yoga teacher, writer and spiritual seeker. Her work and teaching take her around the globe, but she is happiest at home on the shores of Lake Simcoe with her musician husband.
