Meditation Group in Dingwall

I received the following message which I thought I'd pass on to you all, especially as I know some of you are keen to expand your knowledge of various aspects of mindfulness/meditation/Buddhism, or would appreciate some guidance from experienced teachers. This group is part of the Triratna Buddhist Community Highlands (see the 'Local Groups' tab above for contacts in Tain, Inverness, and further afield):

Saturday morning meditation in Dingwall

9.30 - 10.30am in Dingwall Community Centre (note change of venue)followed by discussion on this session's themes - conditionality, the wheel of life and karma and rebirth- in a cafe of our choice.
Session continues on a drop in basis until Saturday 17th December.
All welcome
suggested donation £3

Meeting 2

Today we had our second meeting, which was also fruitful. As we waited for group members to arrive, we discussed our experiences of the past week, and in our pasts, with mindfulness and meditation techniques. We spoke about posture, and different ways of 'sitting' (or kneeling, or standing...) during mindfulness practice. Although we don't have a 'bench' yet, everyone had a chance to have a go at sitting on a round cushion called a zafu, commonly used for cross-legged positions. A couple of stacks of textbooks were also put to good use! After our discussion, which was wide-ranging, we had a very short 'sit'.

It did strike me today that it really is going to be necessary that we make a start on the mindfulness practice right away, preferably by 1:20pm, to allow time for all of the benefits we are seeking. We could leave space for anyone who is slightly late so that they could join in as soon as they arrive. If we begin with the practice, we should still have plenty of time to discuss our experiences over lunch, and perhaps introduce new topics along the way. I'd be really happy to hear others' suggestions on this slight rearrangement. I'd also be interested in hearing from the group as to whether members would like a more guided practice, or if the bells are sufficient, or indeed, if they'd prefer no sound at all because they'd prefer to pursue their own choice of mindfulness technique? Let me know in any way that's convenient.

A final point of business: I will be away next Thursday, but it was agreed by those present today that they intended to meet in Room 202 at 1:15pm as usual. Wish I could be there!

Welcome to our online Breathing Space!

On 27 October, we had our first 'Breathing Space' group meeting. It was a very positive experience for all, and I know I'm certainly looking forward to more!

We decided at the first meeting that we would pursue Mindfulness of Breathing as our first practice, and that the meeting time would be changed to 1:15pm rather than 1:30pm. Some notes for next time: there will be more of us, and I expect this will fluctuate a little over the coming months. There does seem to be a surge of interest (perhaps confirming just how chaotic our lives feel right now), so I plan to offer Tuesday lunchtime as well if needed (or perhaps 'in any case' for anyone who wants to do a little more). We can take things from there. I will try to prepare a little more for introducing a good 'take anywhere' settling technique called 'Body Scan', reintroducing Mindfulness of Breathing, and to introduce different ways of sitting/standing. Lots to do in such little time, but I'll have a go!

I will be putting some 'tabs' at the top of this page which will have to do with the various aspects of our group. They're not all clear in my head yet, so suggestions very welcome! At the moment I'm thinking of one for links to mindfulness/meditation resources, one for local groups, and one each for the types of practice we do in the group. Again, suggestions welcome!

Thanks again to everyone for turning up, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I did, too. See you later in the week!

I'll leave you with this cartoon:

(from Human Design Australia via facebook)