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https://share.descript.com/view/aPR2UMIBJDc The first teaching session of the 'new term' - September 2024 - and I was comparing Beingfulness, the practice we usually explore on a Monday, with the Abhidharma course my teacher Mingyur Rinpoche is teaching at the moment.

I've been trialling a new video editing software (editing takes up a lot of my time, so I'm always looking for better solutions) and this one ends up saving the video on a platform called Descript. Can you easily access the video if you click on the following link? What do you think of this platform?

I missed this mornings class because I discovered too late that I had forgotten to register. I felt really dissapointed which signals for me hoe much I enjoy meditating together with you. But I wanted to share here the reason why I was late in the first place. I was walking my dog this morning when my eye caught the peace flag in the fields near my village. It has been there since the start of the war, and the wind has taken many of its fibers. Of the dutch word for peace ' VREDE' only the first letters remain. For me this flag symbols the year that has passed. I looked at it and thought of the ruined cities in Ukraine, of the people who died, who mourn, who fight, who long for peace. And I wondered if there will be peace before this flag is fully blown in the wind. I felt my connection with them. I pray for peace.

This thought from The Four Thoughts that we learned in the Gayles retreat has become a bit of a mantra for me this week. (Originally Mingyur Rinpoche, From “The Nectar of the Path” Liturgy, ‘The Four Thoughts’)

https://share.descript.com/view/IycVWJilhOi If you would like to get the source text then it's in Christopher Stagg's 1001 Songs of Milarepa on p 240. But you can also just follow along. Each instruction is just a sentence or two!

So nice to meet you all. Sending kindness and love to all 🤗☮️

We've started a new cycle of teaching on Thursdays which is focusing on meditation practice - particularly the two flavours of shamata (Tibetan: shi-ne ) and vipashyna (Tib: lhak-tong). This balance of 'calm abiding' and 'special insight' is going to be our subject for the next month or so. Here's a brief explanation of these terms. https://share.descript.com/view/B85QRmiG2yN

Hello lovely meditators, Just to confirm that there will be no live sessions next week - and we'll start afresh on Monday 17th. You can - of course - tuck in to the material in the Mindsprings library and also explore the Mindsprings School with all its many online courses. I'm live in-person in London next weekend (15-16th April) if you are interested in Tapping and Meditation. Please also note that the Thursday sessions are. going to be an hour earlier from next week, so the session on the 20th will be at 7am - and the same throughout the Summer. Have a blessed few days wherever you are in the world - happy Passover and happy Easter. Much love, Alistair

I’m a mother to 1 human and 2 dogs (Bernese Mtn Dog and Labradoodle mix), and I’m a grandma to 2 amazing little humans (3 in May). I’d describe myself as quick-witted, empathetic, caring, impulsive, and analytical. I’m not as artistic as I'd like, except coloring in stress-free drawing books. 😝 I live in Georgia, US, and love traveling (mostly Europe). Have PTSD, GAD, and ADHD (which I'd not choose for myself, but they do make me stronger). After a recent 4-month bout with insomnia, I started putting a new focus on my self-care. I’ve only just started digging into “Mastering the Monsters of Anxiety,” and I’m finding it’s just so perfect for me. I’ve also been enjoying the Dharma Days video. I tried Accupuncture for the first time, and it’s started to help. My accupuncturist recommended I look into Earthing, which I’ve been doing by standing outside barefoot and using earthing mats. I’m sleeping so much better! I’m looking forward to Session 6 where Allistair begins Earthing Breathing, which I’m suspecting is different but works toward same goal of grounding.

Here's a lovely New Years greeting and teaching from my teacher Mingyur Rinpoche! https://youtu.be/pLYHHNr2JnY

I've recently discovered the poet Mary Oliver. I'm sure many of you are aware of her work (she's not exactly an unknown - won a Pulitzer in 1984!) but I love the themes and the way she relates to the world. The piece below fills my heart. Thought I would share here as it speaks to beingfulness, Buddhism, nature-connection, all that good stuff we talk about 😊 The wonderful phrase "resplendently empty" in particular jumps out to me: Last night in the fields I lay down in the darkness to think about death, but instead I fell asleep, as if in a vast and sloping room filled with those white flowers that open all summer, sticky and untidy, in the warm fields. When I woke the morning light was just slipping in front of the stars, and I was covered with blossoms. I don’t know how it happened— I don’t know if my body went diving down under the sugary vines in some sleep-sharpened affinity with the depths, or whether that green energy rose like a wave and curled over me, claiming me in its husky arms. I pushed them away, but I didn’t rise. Never in my life had I felt so plush, or so slippery, or so resplendently empty. Never in my life had I felt myself so near that porous line where my own body was done with and the roots and the stems and the flowers began.