Contemplative practices - Affirmations, white light visualizations, healing meditations
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Tougholdcros - Wow, I had never heard that before about "playing" DNA sequences as music. It doesn't surprise me though. There are amazing wonders out there in the world/universe for sure.
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Happy Sunday. I’ve Been doing Ian Gawlers White Light Meditation and it is so healing. Sitting in a divine light and breathing in and out. There are so many ways to create peacefulness and calm for the body and mind. I’ve been thinking about the many ways to tame a restless or negative mind space. Noticing rumination and negative thoughts, and then I saw this and wanted to share it.❤️
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That's lovely, @rlschaller . I've been listening to the Dalai Lama's Daily Meditations (Path to Tranquility). They are lovely. One I especially liked this past week was, "If you have some fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there's anything you can do about it. If you can, then there is no need to worry about it. If you cannot do anything, then also there is no need to worry."
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As spring begins, and the daffodils in our back yard announce their yellow joy lol… thought this excerpt form a dharma talk by Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei a lovely Sunday thought to share ❤️ …take in the wild beauty that is here in this moment. Smiling and grateful, happy Sunday to all.
“Too often, we indulge the thoughts, fantasies, excuses of our small minds instead of being receptive to what is directly available to us. This overindulgence keeps us from actually changing and truly experiencing freedom. Maturity means taking responsibility for how we are participating in life. We can learn from our Soto Zen ancestors how to live an expansive life, not a little one; how to ask big questions and practice unbounded receptivity to this vibrating, excruciating, beautiful, ordinary, and wild life. “
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Good morning and happy Saturday. I love this quote . The power of calm abiding to respond. I’m wishing everyone a day of simple joys, truth and collective togetherness today.
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Rhonda - I like the appreciating "wild beauty" in the moment idea a lot - especially at this time of year. While I don't go walking in the "wilds", but in an urban residential area, the message is the same, and yes, it is so nice to take in the beauty of what's there, right then and there. It's one of my favorite reasons for walking.
The Victor Frankl quote is nice too. I used to know someone who was always very fascinated and focused on those minute "in between" spaces between thought and action. It can get pretty interesting. Happy Sunday to you too!
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Hi everyone. Joining this beautiful thread. So many lovely suggestions. I'm just now starting a meditation practice for anxiety (I've been getting some panic attacks since Stage 4 diagnosis) and looking for some of the best for releasing old trauma plus healing. Anyone have some they particularly like?
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@hippmark welcome to the thread. Nice to meet you here. Managing anxiety with meditation is a really good choice. You might checkout Dr. Jud Brewers work . He has a great book too called unwinding anxiety. And I also like Tara Brach . She has a lovely voice and extensive meditations that are free. Also some good books , I liked Radical acceptance a lot. Both would be helpful to start with, as you have a new meditation practice . I find with guided meditations, the sound of the voice really matters lol..
Please let us know which one (or someone else’s recordings you try) and how it goes.
❤️❤️❤️ Rhonda
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Thank you! I am trying various techniques at the moment. Haven't landed on any in particular yet. I think this is a critical portion of our potential to heal and wish that more people were more active in this thread. But so thrilled I found you!
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Yes, me too! Enjoy experimenting! There are so many ways to walk this path. I’ll try not to overwhelm you with resources lol…
And I agree, I find my meditation and visualization practices to be key to my wellbeing and healing. I was trained back in the 80s in the Tibetan style of psychic healing, which is big on imagery in meditation and visualizations. I run light through my body in meditation 2x a day which is very healing, peaceful and loving. If you like, here is a recording of it, The orb of light :
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Thank you! I have tried releasing emotional trauma in my body meditations. It incorporates flooding each part of your body with golden light after releasing what no longer serves you there. One body part at a time! Also muscle relaxation for anxiety and am looking at a Buddist Temple in the area that offers meditation. Yesterday, I started Thai Chi, so I will find what works best for me and practice daily.
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perfect! Love your approach 🙏❤️
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I honestly don't do much meditation at all, but I have "dabbled" a bit. What I do really like are those "guided body scans" with a nice voice, so Hippmark, I can relate to what you are describing as a "golden light" type of body scan. More power to you. I can just never really settle myself down enough to take the time out to do that sort of thing, but I think it can be really helpful.
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threetree - I really like this site too just a simple bell to breathe with ..
sometimes just going for a walk is enough, breathing and listening to the birds. And when the mind wanders, which it will always do…I like to laugh and notice where is my mind now? And just come home to the sun, the birds, my breath, my walking… ❤️
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rlschaller - Thanks for the link to the video. If I click on it here it goes through some "leaving this site" kind of stuff that I'd rather not attempt, so I think I will look at it separately later today, i.e. "on it's own" directly via the internet. What I got interested in years ago was a book called something like "Frantic World". It was written by some British professors who were studying the effects of things like meditation on cancer patients. I read the book years ago and tried some of the meditations that came with the book, etc. It was years ago and not anything that is real popular today, but it has remained my "go to" if I'm ever interested doing any sort of meditation thing. They are most of my experience with this sort of thing, but I've listened to other stuff too. What I like about these are actually the British accent. You had noted how the speaker/voice can make a lot of difference. Well, for some reason I found this one particularly soothing and easy to relax to, so I still go to this one when I do my "every once in awhile attempt at meditation:
This is all still a subject that is a very "sometimes" thing for me. I do see value in it, but it's never been something that I could just totally start doing on a routine basis for whatever reason, so I just enjoy my "every once in awhile" thing.
I'm also glad you mentioned walking. That really is when I go to my "happy place" and feel more peace and calm than usual. I know there are specific "walking meditations" that a person can do, but personally, I just fine the usual walking, and appreciating the outdoors, etc. enough and a very peaceful and calming experience in itself, so I don't attempt and direct walking meditations. I just like the natural flow of the natural walk out in the neighborhood; all the flora and fauna, and other people out doing the same.
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threetree, I think the regular pace of walking felt by your body helps your mind disconnect from all those distracting thoughts. Like you I’m not into meditation the way some are but I have found aspects of it very useful. A girl on the swim team I coached would complain that she couldn’t make her mother, a yoga and meditation teacher, lose her temper no matter what she did. As a HS teacher I took note of that and followed her mother’s approach. If a student was very late to class I made sure they had their late pass and then welcomed them with the comment that I was happy they had arrived just as we were about to learn something new. I “killed” unwelcome behaviors with calm. Aides in my classroom were amazed I reacted to anything negative by commenting on some positive aspect like “It’s kind of you to help your classmate with their phone but now is not the right time so put it away.” I think the students learned more because everyone was relaxed.
Rhonda, I like the bell app for breathing as a way to clear your mind. In pulmonary rehab they used something similar as a method to deal with SOB and shallow breathing.
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Maggie - Yes, I do think the walking is a real good way to disconnect, and I realize there is also a "mindfulness" component to it, especially when I stop and look at the shape of flowers, take in certain views, the sounds of birds, etc. I hadn't really thought about that part before. (Maybe I do practice meditation and mindfulness daily, but I just haven't been aware of it.😉 )
Re your student whose mother could always stay so calm - I remember reading years ago about a study done on Tibetan monks who had meditated daily for decades. One of them said how he couldn't remember the last time he'd been angry. He thought it had been 20 years or more. It'd just be nice to not have to meditate daily for years to reach that point. Maybe you have with the way you started to approach your students. That sounds like a real success. I used to substitute teach for about 10 years, and I seem to remember that if a student came late with a pass, I didn't make a big deal out of it, but I would have taken a more "negative" tone overall; suggesting that they not make a habit of it, asking them why they were late, etc. To have then added something like how nice it was though for them to be there and join the class would have been a real nice and positive kicker. I think you are very observant and right about the benefits that that approach has in teaching, and I think it can be applied to most all of our interactions with others. I'm going to try and be more aware of how I deal with certain situations in every day life and try to do that same sort of thing of finding the positive in a not so great situation and "bringing it up" for everyone involved.
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I love this conversation ! The wisdom teachers have always talked about not having a negative thought as a sign of enlightenment. Mu DH who is an Vedic scholar, and I talk about this. When he first shared that teaching with me , I scoffed at it. Felt crazy.. what ? And then, the more I sat with it, felt that could be a wonderful and yet unattainable goal.. so hard to imagine myself in that way. And yet, as I meditate more and age, it seems more reasonable lol… funny life. I still have negative thoughts, but I am learning to turn towards them with more kindness and compassion. And others .
Maggie - love the way you spoke and encouraged your students. A positive perspective vs a negative perspective. I think that was what the masters were trying to teach. It creates a field of awareness that allows for more joy and appreciation, self correction and better choices too. Thank you for that.
Threetree- definitely sounds like your daily life is filled with meditative moments. Walking, listening, reflecting.. I find being aware, noticing is so helpful. I can’t usually stop my reactivity, but I can do better with my responding. The trick is non judgement, small steps many times. Sometimes I have to remind myself to simply witness my mind, or feelings, and remind myself it’s just a thought… just an emotion… let it be and let it go. Accept and relax. And if I need help, I listen to a recorded meditation, I like Ian Gawlers recordings.
I'll check out the book you posted, thank you for that.I find the peace and calm eventually become natural, and daily. ,And it grows stronger, with this ability to witness,. Simply turn toward myself and notice, let go and let be with calm and joy, with practice.
I love the calm stillness that meditation brings. Sometimes I start the plum village 20 minute practice with interval bells, and as soon as I hear the bell, I relax. Feel good and peaceful. My anxious mind can notice the bell, and agree to let go and before I know it my mind is tamer.
Happy Saturday 🙏❤️
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Ladies, I do enjoy this thread. I have been doing guided meditations almost every day. I need them right now as I find myself with almost daily panic attacks from diagnosis. It just comes on. That old fight or flight stuff. Tomorrow is my biopsy for lung node and I'm going down rabbit holes. What if...so knowing I can go for a walk or meditate is very helpful.
I hope to advance out of this panic state soon and move into an acceptance and place of peace. Accepting does not mean giving up however. Just being where I currently am.
Happy Sunday!
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@hippmark I hope everything goes well today and you are as comfortable with the procedure as you are able. I do find that Buddhist meditation helps enormously with these procedures since I focus on the breath rather than on the medical apparatus.
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Hippmark - Wishing you all the best with your biopsy today. I am in your pocket. I find that deep breathing in these situations can always help at least some. I especially like 4-7-8 breathing, but I think at this point any deep breathing with an inhale through the nose and longer exhale through the mouth will be your friend. Nothing but positive thoughts for you today!
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Ah, guided meditations are so helpful. So glad @hippmark you have a way forward to allow your mind and you heart to work with your spirit during these stressful times. Hope the biopsy went well and the information you learn helpful.
@threetree @tougholdcrow love breathing practice. both shamatha and zen breath, as well as 4,7,8. The Tibetan pure Buddha path and American Buddhist teachings offer guided meditations for relaxation, and healing as well as ,alignment with peace of mind with breath mindfulness into stillness. All paths lead to surrender, so helpful for acute anxiety and craving, peace and right mindfulnesss.
So many ways into finding a release from our ruminating minds. Accepting what is, and meditation for release is so important. Brings so much peace and resolve. And whether we believe in the illusion of the human life (Maya) or not, it doesn’t really matter in my view. What is the light that helps us through the dark recesses of our emotioanal body, the run away thoughts that keep us from accepting and relaxing into the greater light of the universe .. this is what I love to ponder as I study the masters.
Hugs to all ❤️1 -
Rlschaller. Your words are beautiful. Carried with so much grace and love with true meaning. I am but a newbie on this journey in what I will call "enlightenment" for me. It's always been there but kept getting shoved aside for "more important things." Until I was knocked about with this second diagnosis and knew there was a better way to learn on this journey.
I hope to get there with as much grace as you have.
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@rlschaller My own practice is super simple, observation without control. I once talked to a monk who was trained in the Thai forest tradition and told him that I'd learned body scanning and he said, that's just giving your mind something to do. Well. . . . I still do practice body scanning to calm a restless mind. From my limited understanding, the Buddha taught a few methods, and the Dalai Lama teaches several depending on one's immediate goal or particular problem. (He's just wonderful and has levels of teaching from the simple art of happiness to advanced discussions of philosophers like Nagarjuna.) I go on day-long Vipassana retreats sometimes, which are very intense, hours of sitting, and have taken me to places I can't describe. I figure I have an eternity to get to enlightenment, so no rush. Very, very few of us know what it is, and we'll all get there eventually.
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@tougholdcrow I am so impressed you go on retreats! I hope to get there. But right now, Im still trying to settle in with diagnosis and treatment. Which seems to take a lot of my time right now. I believe in reincarnation personally and I feel as if this particular life was my choice towards a huge step to some kind of enlightenment.
I need a mission other than just this MBC
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Happy Mother’s Day gals, as we are all mothering the earth and eachother, as well as others should that be part of your path ❤️.
@tougholdcrow - I love your insights and sharing, observational simple method, is intense and focused. I was introduced to vipasana in Burma many many years ago. Trained as a psychic healer, the Tibetan visualization path was all about using the mind to release the mind. - Ah the Thai Forest tradition is interesting, I’ve read a variety of teachings from that path. And I’ve loved Nargajuna’s teachings and the Dalai Lama. As a lay person, I love reading the different philosophies that all meet in enlightenment and present, so many paths to wisdom. The Vedic traditions teach mantra as the most direct pathway, the Buddhists mindfulness, the American secular path teaches healing and relaxation with the body . I love it all. My personal practice seems always to return to the dissolution of the body annd mind into the stillnesss of the light and life force. An eternity to get there , I agree. One breath at a time.
@hippmark - you words are beautiful, so kind. I understand wanting a mission other than MBC. And moving along towards enlightenment, whatever that might mean. I also believe in reincarnation, and trying to evolve so the next life picks up where this one ends. Not easy these recurrences of cancer, and MBC as well I sometimes think that having a purpose and finding meaning through the mbc helpful, how can my practice help me and others be at peace. Be a candle in the dark for others, shining. Just shining as you learn to live in peacefulness . I love RAm Das teaching on life and death, Walking each other home is a beautiful book, he talks about universal love and loving awareness as the keys to enlightenment. .Meditation, no matter what style or tradition I think is about love , universal love and it changes your aura and impacts all that you experience . And that is such a gift , I think to yourself as you learn to live with this body and mind. And, yet not making life all about it.
Lol anyway, I can go on and on.. happy Sunday all ❤️
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I’ve been doing daily white light visualizations during treatment and it honestly gives me a sense of calm and control. Alongside that, I’ve also started getting insight from trusted psychics, and some of their words really helped me open up emotionally in ways I didn’t expect. I take what resonates and leave the rest, but it’s become a comforting part of my healing ritual.
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@jazmintchandler I love white light meditations! I do them daily as well. I do Breath meditations as well, to settle my mind and body, and it’s my go to during MRI and CT scans. How nice you have trusted psychics to talk with, divine insight is like a comfy duvet on a cold night I find. Or being wrapped in angels wings… Wherever and however you access intuitive guidance and pending on your belief system… what a comfort and gift for the psyche. There are so many spiritual paths, traditional and alternative and finding what resonates is so important , for those of us drawn to it. Thank you for sharing . Lovely.
I have been looking at NASA photos of the universe (s) lately, the great expanse of the worlds has so much to teach us, me lol ! and I loved this two. I use these in my meditations as I dissolve into the healing light.
Happy Sunday ❤️ Rhonda
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@rlschaller I read popular books on quantum physics. I understand little of it, since about 15 years of math are needed to even try to grasp the subject. But it gives me a window into the profound mysteries of our reality, which, as one physicist puts it, is not what it seems.
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Looking at those NASA photos is a great idea. It reminds me of sleeping outside under the stars and melding with the universe.
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