Byline: Tara Brach and Grace Ogden
Does meditation contribute to mental and physical health? What are the different kinds of meditative practices?
Tara Brach, founder and senior teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C., and Grace Ogden , senior program manager for the Cathedral College at the Washington National Cathedral, were online Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss meditation and emotions, interfaith contemplative programs and practices and area resources available for a variety of techniques and approaches. They will also answer your questions about Meditate D.C., which is happening this week, November 6-13.
From The Post:
For a Week, D.C. Focuses on Meditation (Post, Nov. 6)
Brach is a practicing clinical psychologist, a lay Buddhist teacher and the author of "Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of the Buddha" and the forthcoming "In the Shadow of the Buddha."
The transcript follows.
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Tara Brach: Hello friends,
I'm online and glad to explore any questions you might have about meditation, and how meditation can be used in working with difficult emotions.
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Washington, D.C: Is scripture-based meditation (whichever scripture one adheres to) beneficial, and if so, what is the best way to go about it?
Tara Brach: Reflecting on the scriptures of the different religions is a powerful practice. I'd suggest starting by sitting quietly, calming the mind breathing. Then take just a small piece...a few sentence or one idea..and after reading, giving some time for inner contemplation. Let the meaning settle in by sensing how this relates to your direct experience.
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Silver Spring, Md.: I suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder and I've tried meditation many times, but I find it hard to quiet my mind enough even to do a few minutes of meditation.
Tara Brach: There are many styles of meditation- it is valuable to experiment and sense what works for you personally. With obsessive/compulsive disorders, I've found that meditations that are physical- like yoga- are often the most accessible. Similarly, walking meditation. The practice is to do a posture (or walk slowly) and let your full attention rest with the experience of sensations.
If you prefer sitting still, you can even lightly and rhythmically press the thumb and forefinger of each hand together...paced with the breath...as a way of engaging the attention and relaxing.
The key is to not judge how it's going...simply have the intention to notice what is happening, with a kind attention
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Grace Ogden: Greetings and welcome from Grace Ogden. I'm on staff at the National Cathedral where I produce programs to help people deepen their spiritual lives--for their own sake and for the well-being of our wider community. This is an exciting time of fresh understanding about the meeting ground of contemplative practices among different faiths, and the important benefits of these practices.
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Arlington, Va.: What is "Meditate DC"?
Tara Brach: Meditate Dc info can be found on the web- meditatedc.com... the Mayor's office and the city council have proclaimed the week Meditate DC as a way of encouraging people to explore the health benefits of meditation.
The web site will let you know the events of the week. You will find information for my meditation class (tomorrow Wed night) and an array of other offerings
Hope you enjoy!
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Colton, N.Y.: Hi Tara -
Thanks for doing this session. I hope you will do more in the future. I have been sitting for 6 years and it is really changing my life in the direction of simplicity and mindfulness.
I wonder if you could comment on the interplay between being and doing in your life. What life changes in addition to sitting help you be more mindful of living in the present moment?
Tara Brach: Hi- you ask what, in addition to sitting practice, helps in being present in daily life. It's a wonderful question!
I find frequently pausing- I call this the sacred art of pausing- makes a huge difference. Simply stop for a few moments, take some full breaths and intentionally relax through your body. You might ask the 2 questions that really help bring us home: What is happening inside me right now? Can I be with this? (kindly, with acceptance..)
You might pause before getting out of the car, after a phone call, during the shower! Pausing is a way of stepping out of the habitual cocoon of thoughts and arriving in the fullness of the present.
Also- it helps to frequently remember your intention...you can inquire "What really matters?" and that will help bring you back Here...to your heart and awareness.
Finally- use your body as an anchor for presence during the day- softening the hands, bringing a half-smile to the mouth...it will help you arrive and enjoy your moments.
Blessings!
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Washington, D.C.: What are the Buddhist practices of meditation? Thanks for explaining.
Tara Brach: Hi- You ask what are the Buddhist practices of meditation.
There are many, but the most well known divide into the categories of mindfulness, concentration and lovingkindness practices.
Mindfulness is the capacity to recognize, without judgment, what is happening in the present moment. Training in mindfulness involves a degree of quieting the mind (through concentration) but emphasizes an open attention that simply notices experience- thoughts, sensations, emotions- and allows them to arise and pass without any interference. The result of a mindful attention is equanimity and insight- a deep understanding of the nature of reality.
Concentration is a method of quieting the mind, usually using the breath, a mantra (set of sacred words) or image as an anchor for attention. As we quiet the mind, we can experience a deep tranquility and peace.
Heart practices- like the lovingkindness and compassion meditations directly cultivate these qualities in our being. They use words and images to help us relax open our hearts, and reconnect with our nature as Loving Presence.
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Washington, D.C.: What kinds of services are at the National Cathedral. I wasn't aware it offered meditative programs. Do you have a lot of participation? Can you please provide some insight into the kinds of Christian practices? Thank you.
Grace Ogden: Father Thomas Keating has reawakened an ancient Christian practice of Centering Prayer, or Lectio Divina, which is part of a broader set of practices known as Christian contemplative prayer. Washington National Cathedral offers Centering Prayer sessions every Tuesday from 6:15 to 7:15 pm, Wednesdays from 8 to 8:30 am, and the fourth Saturday of the month from 10 to 11:30 am in the Cathedral Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. The Center is is a lovely quiet place open every day of the week for personal prayer and meditation. Usually about 30 people attend WNC's Centering Prayer sessions. We also have monthly labyrinth walks (a form of walking meditation). Plus we offer occasional meditation programs based in the Buddhist tradition that are taught in a universal way such that interested people of diverse faith traditions and backgrounds can benefit.
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Norther Virginia: What are some other resources for me to look into some meditation programs in the D.C. area? I'd greatly appreciate your help. Thanks.
Tara Brach: If you are interested in exploring meditation, you might check the Web site for IMCW.ORG
This will give you information on classes in the area, as well as reading and audio resources
Also- this week is Meditate DC...and the Web site meditatedc.org will give you much information as to local events.
You are very welcome to join us tomorrow at my class at the River Road Unitarian Church (bethesda, md) 7pm
Blessings on the journey!
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Arlington, Va.: Grace, can you please define contemplative practices for me? Thank you for explaining.
Grace Ogden: Collectively they represent ways to cultivate inner peace. One comes into awareness of the present moment, the mind quiets (sometimes just a bit!) and one experiences an expanded awareness. How one interprets this stillness and awareness, and which prayers or word-based meditations might be used as part of the experience depend on the religious tradition.
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Washington, D.C.: Tara, does it matter how one sits or lies during meditation? I get really uncomfortable sitting cross-legged. Also, is your Wednesday meditation session Metro-accessible?
Tara Brach: Hi
Unfortunately the wed class can be reached by bus (river road), not metro. But we do ask after each class who needs rides, so if you can get there once, I suspect you'll find others to carpool with. It's quite a large group (250-300) and people come from all over the dc metro area.
As for sitting/lying.. meditation is the practice of paying attention, and we can develop this capacity in any and all postures. However, there are certain postures that are particularly conducive- those that allow us to be with a straight (not stiff) spine, yet relaxed. It helps if you are sitting on the floor to have some cushions under your bottom- enough so that your knees can touch the ground, and the lower back can naturally arch forward.
For many people, stretching the legs before sitting is useful. For some, using a meditation bench is better than sitting on a cushion. Most important is that you don't injure your knees. But discomfort, especially in early stages, is natural. Often there is a sense of the legs feeling numb/dead...not so much blood flow, etc. You can move mindfully whenever there is great discomfort. But there is more insight and freedom when we can sit still, and without judgment or reactions, simply notice the experience as a constellation of changing sensations.
In so doing, the insight arises that everything keeps changing, that there is no one home "owning" the sensations...it is simply the body's awareness experiencing a changing flow. This gives freedom- rather than reacting, we can find some peace and stillness in the midst of experience. And realizing this generalizes into daily life- we don't have to control, adjust, fix quite so much. There are more moments of presence, contentment, peace, happiness.
Hope this is helpful!
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Virginia: How long have you been practicing and what do you feel you have you gained from it?
Tara Brach: Hi
I've been practicing meditation for 33 years. The benefits? Less suffering, more happiness and peace. Less judgment, more kindness towards myself and others. Less pre-occupation, more moments of presence.
In a deep way, my sense of who I am has shifted from a limited self "on my way" somewhere...one who is struggling to be better, afraid of failing.. to a sense of just being Loving Presence. The personality is still here and plays out..gets reactive, angry, hurt. But there is less identification with this, more simple mindfulness of what is unfolding, and compassion.
Please don't let the number of years of practice be discouraging. Right from the start I found deep comfort, healing and insight through meditation. I've seen thousands of people who have discovered a deep sense of ease, worth and freedom as they establish a daily practice.
Wishing you all the best!
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Washington, D.C.: Hi-I'd like to learn more about meditation. Are there classes or workshops I can take in the area? I'm particularly interested in Buddhist meditation and would prefer that the classes are based on that slant.
Tara Brach: Hi
You can find information on Buddhist meditation classes on the web imcw.org. You are welcome to come to my Wednesday night class, which you will see listed.
There is a growing array of meditation classes available in the metro area...so ...may you enjoy!
Finally- Two books to consider: Jack Kornfield's Path with Heart is a classic. And my book, Radical Acceptance, will give you a good intro to Buddhist meditation, and to it's applications to emotional healing.
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Anonymous: Grace, what have you gained from meditation?
Grace Ogden: It's hard to answer this question because it depends on what part of life we're talking about vis a vis benefits. So here's a try: I was able to maintain a loving, connected, in the moment presence to my dad when he was dying, such that it was a deeply nourishing time for us both. In my present life, I am similarly able to experience joy and not be overtaken by anxiety or fear because someone with whom my life is deeply intertwined has a serious illness. I'm able to contain my anger and wait for a sense of calm before reacting in challenging situations (from work stuff to interacting with my at times demanding three year old). Generally I react with less stress to the aggravations of daily city living.
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Washington, D.C.: Hi, I was the one who asked about how to sit. Thanks for your answer. It was very helpful. Do you think a good way to get started would be to meditate for shorter periods and gradually increase the time?
Tara Brach: Hi
Yes- starting with a shorter time and building is fine. The trick- don't set an expectation for too long, and then feel like you are falling short. And..try to give yourself enough time to settle a bit. Meditation goes by the laws of physics...with a certain amount of time and intentionally, our busy mind does begin to quiet.
My approach is to commit to sitting every day, no matter what. But the back door is-- some days might turn out to be very short- just a few minutes- and that's totally fine. Just begin by setting your intention (to be present, relaxed, to relate to what arises with a kind and accepting attention)...and then, whatever happens, happens!
Finally- it really helps to sit with other people. So you might try to find a weekly class or sitting group (check our Web site imcw.org for this)
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Washington, D.C.: Thank you SO much for taking my question. I have a lot of trouble falling asleep. Even when I'm tired, when I get into bed, if I don't fall asleep within thirty minutes, I start to panic. My mind starts racing and I'm internally counting down the minutes until I have to get up, which is just a vicious cycle. Current Rx medications don't necessarily help either.
Can you suggest some ways to calm myself down and clear my head so I can fall asleep? Thanks!!
Grace Ogden: Tara will be able to give you the most specific help with this, but one basic awareness taught in Buddhist practice (and others for that matter) is that one has the original pain (eg being sleepless) and then our tendency is to make it much worse by imagining all the repercussions, that it's never going to get better, for example. This sounds like what you're experiencing. Thus one place to start is catch this tendency to pile stuff onto the original worry and let it go. Easier said than done, so one thing you might try is writing into a journal the stuff that keeps you awake after the 30-minute window. It can offer a release so that you can then return to quieting down for sleep.
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Grace Ogden: Thanks for your questions. I enjoyed the chance to chat with everyone.
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Fairfax, Va.: Tara, I read your book and through it discovered how completely out of touch with my emotional self I am. What does one do when one is unable/unwilling to feel things to the extent that one does not believe there are things to feel? Am I repressing, or is there nothing there? How do I find out? How do I deal?
Tara Brach: From your question it sounds like you might sometimes not believe there are things to feel...but you intuit that there is some emotional currents and aliveness that you are not experiencing.
We all disconnect from unpleasant experience. The value of reconnecting is that when it is buried, it actually contracts our life- we loose spontaneity, our hearts are not so open.
The process of reconnecting begins simply with the intent to pay attention to our experience and meet it with kindness, acceptance. It helps to do a daily practice, and you might include the body scan meditation that is at the end of the chapter on the body. This will help to open you into where emotions live. Also the heart practices, the lovingkindness meditation, can both reveal where we are closed off, and soften and open.
The flags of repressing are feeling a chronic undercurrent of either depression or anxiety. That you are not free to live fully, love fully.
It can help to work with a therapist, as by ourselves we tend to master patterns of avoidence. There are a number of local therapists who also are involved with meditation so this can be a good combo.
But I'd encourage you not to assume that "something's wrong"...rather that you are waking up to your fullness, and this is part of the process.
All best!
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washingtonpost.com: This concludes today's discussion. Thank you for joining.
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Moving Meditation - Brief Article
The Creator made me singular, miraculous, beautiful. I care for myself as I would for a priceless work of art.
Say "meditation" and most people imagine sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, repeating a mantra. It seems strange and a little cult-like to some, a waste of precious time to others.
Not at all. Meditation holds benefits for mind, body and soul. Research conducted at the stress-reduction clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Boston has shown that meditation decreases anxiety, lowers blood pressure and relieves chronic pain. It can be an important tool for controlling stress and negative emotions, and helping us experience the presence of God within.
Folks who want such benefits are sometimes surprised (and pleased) to hear they can do so without spending an hour sitting pretzel-style. Moving meditations can be just as effective, restful and healing as sitting still.
"Moving meditation allows you to take part in and notice your actions while at the same time maintaining your inner center and calm," says Devya, an African-American certified meditation teacher based in New York. The idea is to calm and focus your mind, while your body does its thing. You shut out external distractions and attend only to what you're doing, paying close attention to your every movement.
Because our minds are constantly pondering what to do or think next, we often forget the present moment. Moving meditation lets us focus exclusively on what we're doing now--whether it's washing the dishes, walking the dog or watering a plant. By bringing mindfulness to everyday activities, you can make ordinary tasks a sublime experience.
Meditation instructor Kellye Davis says we have many opportunities to practice moving meditation each day. Here's how to invoke mindfulness in your activities: * Smile. Bring a half smile to your face and imagine one in your heart. * Breathe. Being aware of each in-breath and exhalation helps focus the mind. If distracting thoughts come up, set them aside; return your awareness to your breath and to your task. * Focus. Concentrate only on what's in front of you--examine it as if you're looking at it for the first time. Really pay attention. * Slow down. Make your movement twice as slow and fluid as it would be normally. Slowing down lets your mind catch up with what you're doing. * Just be. Don't rush or think about the next thing you must do. Enjoy yourself.
Spirit Quest
My aunt was murdered by a convicted criminal -- someone who is also a member of our extended family. How do we forgive him and regain our faith in God?
Rev. Carol Traylor of Agape International Center of Truth in Culver City, California, responds: Forgiveness is both a practice and a process. Simply declaring that someone is forgiven, particularly when family relationships are involved, may only be a surface gesture.
When we have been devastated by what seems to be an unforgivable act, we can only find true forgiveness by being open and willing to change the bitterness, hatred, hurt and resentment that has hardened our heart.
You've heard over and over again that "prayer changes things." It does. When you pray with a sincere intention to allow God to enter, it creates an opening in your heart. As you continue to pray and meditate, God's love softens your heart and transforms your harbored bitterness. But you must be truly willing to accept that change and release your unforgivingness. Pray for clarity, understanding and compassion, and expect the flowering of forgiveness and restored faith in your heart and in the heart of your family members.
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