Drawing the Wheel Introduction to Daoist Meditation eCourse Week 2 – written by Matt Parsons
If you are just joining the eCourse now or have not had time to consistently practice the lesson from Week 1, please return to Melting Your Issues before progressing to Week 2.
Introduction to Daoist Meditation – Parson’s Practice Part II – Drawing the Wheel (If you would prefer audio downloads of the eCourse upgrade to Gratitude Giver membership.)
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Download. Read. Answer the Questions to Guide you. Practice. Go at your own pace. We are in this together. Make sure to visit the group for support, sharing and celebrating.
Meditation and Gratitude sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G ♪
As you know we are in the middle of our Daoist meditation eCourse. So why meditation and what does it have to do with gratitude?
A daily written gratitude practice can be done many different ways. You can look back at your day and recount moments of gratitude that naturally came up for you. You can write down your gratitude throughout the day in the moment that it emerges. Or you can cultivate gratitude in the present moment. This cultivation of gratitude is how I most frequently practice meditation because I’ve noticed that sometimes the path to gratitude is not looking back but being fully in the present. Here’s the thing about the present, we never know exactly what is going to show up. It could be joy, anxiety, calm, and/or sensations of pain. But regardless of what shows up, I can experience it and find gratitude. This is why I often practice moments of meditation as part of my gratitude practice.
What I call a moment of mediation is closing my eyes, concentrating on my breath and allowing thoughts to pass without judgment. This may only last a couple of minutes but the results are a calmness, groundedness and yes, appreciation. Often times these feelings of gratitude naturally come up for me after the mediation but if not, what I will do is take a deep breath and contemplate gratitude as I take in the present moment. I focus on my five senses one at a time. In this moment what do I hear? What do I see? What do I smell? What do I taste? What do I feel with my skin? What am I grateful for about these things?
Outside of these moments of meditation, I have struggled with maintaining a consistent meditation practice. I am grateful that Matt has shared with us his expertise in Daoist meditation and thanks to him I am now back to a 30 minute meditation (almost) every morning. Meditation slows me down, quiets my mind, and makes me more aware of what’s going on inside me and around me. As I’ve said before, we can’t be grateful for something if we don’t notice it. The more I meditate the more I notice because I am not ruminating as much, not as worried, and less obsessed with my past and future.
This eCourse is on Daoist meditation, one of many traditions and techniques of meditation. Some are spiritual or religious practices while others are not. Most meditation practices emphasize concentration but the other details vary widely including using body movement, mantras, timed sessions, a focus on breathing, a focus on the heart or other organs, the goal of cultivating compassion or other states of being, sound, a topic of reflection, and/or group practice. It is important to find the meditation practice that is the best fit for you.
[su_quote cite=”Robert Holden”]The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are the more present you become.[/su_quote]
This Week’s Gratitude Question
[su_button url=”http://www.ourgratitudecollective.com/activity/” background=”#178fb3″]What are you grateful to experience through meditation?[/su_button]
My Gratitude Experience Last Week
Our facebook group had its first internet troll a few days ago. I was getting caught up in the drama of it all, reading and rereading the comments. Then I sat and did my morning meditation. Meditation reminded me of the importance of not holding on to negativity. If I hold on to negativity I am giving it to much energy and power over me. And really there’s no point in holding on to anything, even if it is positive. All is fleeting. Every emotion like a passing cloud. I can notice, appreciate, accept and release it. What a powerful reminder! And just like that, I found something to be grateful for about an annoying troll.
Forgotten Gratitude
Last week I was also grateful for the way the light shone in through the closed blinds … Blackest black the absence of color … Stopping negative self-talk before it weakened me … Droopy-eyed sleepy Lita.
A New eCard
The Gratitude I Shared Last Week
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| Sun | 1/11/2015 | Thankful for a really nice weekend with my girlfriend … A nice phone call with my sister, so much excitement and love and awareness and growth and possibilities and thanks … Quiet; two opportunities today for being alone in the quiet house … Being calm, feeling grounded. |
| Sat | 1/10/2015 | I’m grateful for finishing my book and that enraptured sense I get at the end of a great book, unable to look away … Vegan doughnuts and a fresh bag of my blackest French roast coffee … A gross movie and lots of salty popcorn then sharing a meal and our open-hearted vulnerability afterwards, finding common ground. |
| Fri | 1/9/2015 | I’m grateful for lady dinner, catching up and yummy food … Things gracefully falling into place for the gratitude party … Reconnecting with a great friend, gifts, sharing our lives, and green smoothies. |
| Thu | 1/8/2015 | In gratitude for feeling better after a thankfully short-lived I’ll feeling … Being able to see the doctor for my script and a ridiculously easy referral … This rekindled habit of reading myself to sleep … goodnight gratitude |
| Wed | 1/7/2015 | I’m grateful that my bills are finally paid … The venue for 1000gratitudes is booked, both a relief and excitement … I’m grateful for good progress at the Board meeting today even though we couldn’t do our agenda, we were very productive … I got through another day of melting my issues. |
| Tue | 1/6/2015 | I’m grateful for an unexpected family visit, chasing my niece and nephew and laughing at the sight of Cielo’s enormous eyes … One more decadent chocolate … Starting my day off right. |
| Mon | 1/5/2015 | I’m so grateful for disconnecting earlier when I was overwhelmed anxious and fearful … Actually I’m grateful for feeling so out of sorts because its making it clear to me that committing to a meditation practice will do me well … I’m grateful for the best home-cooked dinner ever, thanks to Diane. |
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My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it!
A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide.
My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can to. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336.
Created by Antonia Montoya[/su_note]