TIME FOR A BREAK

At the end of April we will be taking a break from programming at the Centre in Pembroke. Its been a mixed year of learning and practicing together. We’ve had some interesting workshops and tried a bunch of new things. It seems like we’ve pushed things as far as we can for now and its time for one of those proverbial plateaus.

We still have another 5 weeks left in the current Managing Chronic Conditions group and the dozen and a half folks who come out for that are finding their practices, each in their own way. I’m always impressed at how each group and its participants finds their own way and how mindfulness will express itself for them.

Once we finish up with that group, we’ll be taking a much deserved (I think - at least a welcome one) break from training and programs until September. There will be no new programs until then and this will also be our last post on this blog until the fall.
 
In the meanwhile, keep reading at our sister blogs:

• The Red Maple Leaflet  
• The Padakun Blog

Have a great summer,
yours , on purpose,                              
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

BEGINNING AND ENDING

This coming week will mark the final session for the CORE program we initiated this year and the start up of the Managing Chronic Condition program (MCCM), which is a re-working of the Change Your Mind (CYM) program we have been doing for over 10 years. Each group has its own purposes and character. The CORE group has been intimate and hard-working. The MCCM group will be larger and more practice focussed.
As I experiment with new and varied ways to provide instruction, I am learning the essentials for this kind of training. When I began, almost 30 years ago, I stuck very close to certain teaching and theoretical models, mostly what is called “mindfulness-based stress reduction”. In these years since then, I have run up against the clear limits of that approach and endeavored to introduce new elements drawn from other sources. Those who have done CYM will be familiar with our use of Constructive Living, for example. The curriculum continues to grow and change, and I think we have come a long way since the first programming. The result has been better and more rich programming for participants.

There are still a few spaces in the upcoming MCCM group and the later CYM group (scheduled for Wednesdays, starting April 29) has lots of space. If you would like to learn more or to register, contact me.               

Yours , on purpose,                               
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

MINDFUL LIVING PROGRAMS IN APRIL

With Spring starting this week in the Upper Valley, we begin to anticipate running sap, blossoming of plants and flowing of frozen waterways. The other blossoming we welcome is the start of 2 more mindful living groups. The Managing Chronic Conditions Mindfully program (MCCM) is what I call the little-brother of the CORE program we began in February. That program is intense and demanding, exploring the breadth of the PARA skills, as we call them. The MCCM is shorter, more practice-focussed and light on reading and self-study. It was developed to concentrate on the acquisition and cultivation of mindfulness or attention, the first A of PARA. It responds to the needs of many former participants who struggled with chronic illness and had less developed reading and study skills.
One of the groups will be held in Pembroke at the RMML Centre, the other will be in Cobden, using the well-known “badge” of Change Your Mind, the program that started it all for us about 12 years ago. Both are daytime groups and both share the same material and format. It will be interesting to see how effective a lighter version of this training may be. It’s heartening to see that, even after 12 years of program delivery, there remains an interest in using non-medical, non-pharmaceutical interventions like mindful living to address chronic health conditions. 

yours mindfully,
Ray

MINDFULNESS AND THE NET

I have been working through an exciting new book in preparation for the Taming Our Digital Lives workshop on the 21st. The book is The Shallows, What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, by American tech observer, Nicholas Carr. He is stirring up considerable debate around the transformation of our lives into digital, or at least digitally-constrained existences. It particularly resonated with me because of the way he distinguishes Net-based activity as being structured around superficial (in a good way) activity which can  collapse into mindless distractability and that part of our lives which needs to be open and reflective, even contemplative.

It drew my attention to the many ways I experience distraction when online. Just as a test, I loaded and reloaded a typical page without attending to the content and was sharply aware of how many built-in distractions there are on a typical page. It is an exercise of will, usually a failure to sustain any firm attention for more than a second or two.

Contrast this with my recent experience on a midnight beach in Cuba. I drew a chair into the surf and sat, just above the waves and did my sitting practice staring at the gentle shimmering of the full moon.  Even allowing for my ADD-ish tendencies, I was aware of the drive in my senses to jump around, looking for new information, links, video, clickables and so on. Since then, I’ve been deliberately reining in my usual unrestrained Net activity to re-set more of the mindful, contemplative mind I need.

mindfully,
Ray

IN THE MOMENT(UM)

IN THE MOMENT(UM)

Its one of those throw-away phrases that populate wellness, New Age and alt-health conversations. We need to be “in the moment”. As if we could somehow disconnect ourselves from the flow of time and inhabit some kind of ever-calm, ever-stress-free space of Now. Although many mindfulness teachers continue to offer up this gratuitous phrase, it has little or no meaning in the cultivation of mindful living.
It hardly needs saying, but this moment only exists and holds value in that it is an abstraction of the flow of our lives. In Buddhist psychology there is the term “nen-moment” which points to a finite number of discreet experiences which exist in a given temporal ‘moment’. Nevertheless, even nen-moments refer to distinctions in the flow of experience, not that any moment could have independent existence. What matters is our capacity to observe deeper and deeper detail in our experience, to recognize patterns and to avoid being reactive to what occurs.
What is more important than trying to hide out in some imaginary space of Now is that we attend to and recognize the momentum of our lives. Nothing about our lives arises out of nothing. If we are to benefit from mindfulness practice, even in its most psychological versions, we are encouraged to recognize patterns of thought, behaviour and action. This means we need to recognize the momentum of our lives, to see what has arisen in our experience and how we have tended to react to it. Although change is the form of our lives, we do not initiate it. We can sail within the current of change and, to do so, we need to recognize the momentum of that current. Our task is not to change anything but to recognize this current and direct our actions in the direction which is purposeful for us. We work with the current never independent of it. Let our aspiration be to “live in the moment(um)”.

yours, on purpose,

Ray

EMOTIONS AND PRACTICE

EMOTIONS AND PRACTICE

Far too often mindfulness practice is presented in terms of a technical endeavour. We have advice on what to do when sitting, how to hold the hands, how to breath, how to deal with distractions, and so on. It gets reduced to a kind of mental fitness class. It becomes “stress-reduction” or something equally insipid.
At our quarterly retreat yesterday we spent our practice time working with 3 practices which only occasionally get included in mindfulness training. The practices were:
1. Naikan
2. Compassion (or karuna-bhavana)
3. Loving kindness (or metta-bhavana)

These , especially the 2nd and 3rd , have become more present in teaching these days. These are crucial practices to include in mindful living because they push us beyond the merely technical, into an awareness of interdependence. They invite us to acknowledge that our lives are inextricably intertwined with those of countless others, named and not, known and not.
Most of those who participated commented, as well, on the difficulty we have in extending understanding and good wishes towards ourselves. We are own harshest critics, stingy with our kindness and unforgiving in our judgments when directed inward. Engaging in practices like compassion and loving kindness encourage us to crack open that limitation and allow ourselves to lighten up on our selves.

REMINDER:
The RMML Centre is closed from February 20-28 while Ray is away.

MARKETING MEETS MINDFULNESS

MARKETING MEETS MINDFULNESS

We’ve often said that the term “mindfulness” has been co-opted by marketers and people who really have no idea what the term means. The weather-guy now says “be mindful of the snow”, rather than “drive slowly because it is snowing outside”. The gift of mindfulness as vipassana, (complete awareness) has been degraded as mindfulness-lite. Here’s a great example of why the term has become just a synonym for noticing or attention. 

 

http://www.mintigo.com/blog/marketing-mindfulness-3-critical-steps-successful-proof-concept-part-5-5/?utm_source=Outbrain

Mindful living, as we understand it in Red Maple is a way of being and acting in your life which includes what we call the PARA skills – purpose, attention, relationships and activity. It is a comprehensive approach to how we can live every aspect of our lives so that we develop a deep satisfaction. It is how we can recognize ourselves as living and expressing what we say matters. Mindful living, as I have often said, is not just tacking something onto the way you have always lived your life and expecting that to transform everything. Mindful living is enquiring into your life with a willingness to live differently, to challenge the assumptions you have which have held you at a distance from the richness of your own experience and trapped you in reactivity instead of purposefulness.

DISTRACTION AT HOME AND AT WORK

DISTRACTION AT HOME AND AT WORK

Are you doing something else while you read this? There are more and more articles coming out now to direct us to build our skills of attention. Several studies have demonstrated that so-called multi-tasking simply means doing several things at once, all badly. There is evidence that this behaviour creates shifts in the brain which rob us of the capacity to use important executive brain functions, like organizing and prioritizing. Most concerning is the suggestion that younger minds are being robbed of certain cognitive capacities by the drive to many things at once. Lots of scanning does not create decisive or purposeful individuals.
 In an article in the Huffington Post, Surviving the Distraction Epidemic, Ellen Goldman writes

It is becoming more and more apparent that this way of living is seriously impacting not just our happiness, but our health and brains as well!....thanks to the brain imaging technology ...(we are learning)...that if we don't put boundaries on our personal technology, our brains will suffer, and it is detrimental to our health...For the brain to function optimally, it needs its full beam of attention on one activity at a time. As a matter of fact, the more we multitask, the higher the propensity for error and the greater the drop in efficiency.

Read the whole article here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-g-goldman/surviving-the-distraction_b_6455404.html


Yours , on purpose,                               
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

MID-JANUARY REMINDERS

MID-JANUARY REMINDERS

1. There are still some places for our CORE Mindful Living Program, scheduled to start on February 3. This is a brand new program and promises to re-set the bar for mindfulness training around here. Info and registration links on this site.

2. Watch for the February issue of SODAI, our monthly magazine, coming out next week. It will feature some new programming for the late winter.

3. Pick up a copy of the latest Health Matters Magazine, Winter 2015,available at locations all over Renfrew. On page 16 you can read an item about us and coming programs. Oddly, its not available online yet (wonder why?)...but should be soon.

4. There is no programming IN PEMBROKE on January 24 due to the special Red Maple Sangha Ceremony in Renfrew. Two members are going through the jukai ceremony, through which they formally anounce their lives in the Buddhist way. Congrats to them.

5. The KAPPS walk for January will be announced this weekend. Check out their blog for details.

Finally, this nice photo for the winter ....

Mindful Living CORE Program

Red Maple Mindful Living is pleased to announce its brand new learning program, The Mindful Living CORE Program. The CORE Program prepares you for mindful living in a 10 week learning series running Tuesdays, 6-8 PM beginning February 3.

We believe that lasting improvements in our lives will not come from any of the quick-fixes being offered these days. Life is not an illness or a disorder, so we don’t need treatments to have a satisfying life. We believe in finding our place in our lives through aligning ourselves with the momentum we experience in our bodies, thoughts and circumstance. We believe satisfaction comes from fulfilling our personally-defined purpose.

Our approach grows from the PARA foundation:
    P: purpose, pro-activity and perspective
    A: attention, awareness and affiliation
    R: relationships, resources, and resilience
    A: activity, action and activism

The CORE Program combines teaching and discussion with attention-building practices and focussing exercises in a casual but disciplined class environment. The Program is not therapy or self-help, it is learning and practicing in a safe, friendly and confidential environment.

The CORE Program consists of:

• 8-2 hour classroom sessions over 10 weeks, 
• 2 individual mentoring sessions, 
• free admission to all Center Saturday practice sessions, 
• a 10% discount for any/all of 3 half-day workshops and 
• the CORE Program workbook. 

The cost is $250. The program will be limited to 10 participants, with a minimum age of 17. Couples and parent-teens welcome.You can register by contacting Ray at 613-433-9405 or rayATpadakun.com .                   

Yours , on purpose,                               
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM RED MAPLE

The process of mindful living, as we practice and teach it, always begins with purpose. We always return to the question “what matters most to me?”. From acknowledging the answer to that question we are presented with the challenge of expressing those values through intention and action. This is the meaning of purpose.

Now that we have successfully initiated Red Maple Mindful Living in Pembroke and Renfrew County, we too, as the community of mindful living, have to ask ourselves how will we express our commitment to purposeful living in practice and learning for the coming year. Some of this will simply mean continuing practice sessions as we began last fall. However, as we learn of different needs in our community, we are called to provide different formats and material for different needs. As outlined in our monthly newsletter, SODAI, the first of these new initiatives will be the presentation of our CORE mindful living program. This multi-week program will introduce our unique Red Maple approach for the first time.

Further, the presentation of the CORE program represents more than another learning opportunity. In addition to the training we will provide, the experience of working with our approach will contribute in a significant way to the preparation of a new publication which will further present our approach to a wider audience.

As this year opens up for us, we are all invited to participate in the learning, teaching, practice and community of mindful living. Each of us has unique gifts and needs, and our participation in Red Maple activities provides many opportunities to give and receive, for the benefit of ourselves and our community of practice.
Yours , on purpose,                               
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

ATTENTION AT CHRISTMAS

ATTENTION AT CHRISTMAS

Its everywhere this month - blinking lights, seasonal music, signs and advertising. Christmas is the Eldorado for the machine called consumer capitalism. We find ourselves bombarded and bathed in stimulation to get us “in the season”. Whatever your thoughts on the commercialism of the Christian and Jewish celebrations, there’s no denying this is a time of year for over stimulation and over-indulgence. Not much can be more of a challenge to mindful living than this end of year spasm.

For those of us engaged in the process of mindful living, we have some things we can do to preserve the equilibrium and calm we have tried to sustain for the other eleven months. Here are some suggestions:
•    mix keep your social schedule with high and low demand events; quiet times with close friends and family are important;
•    likewise, mix up meals, so most are normal and balanced, indulge as you like, but balance that with some sensible eating;
•    set limits on alcohol consumption, don’t drink and drive;
•    if your practice time is interrupted, as it is for most at Christmas, set some specific re-boot time in early January when you will get back to a schedule;
•    take regular walks away from the commercial areas, stay connected with nature;
•    find as many ways as possible to express your gratitude for all you are receiving
•    spread your generosity around to the less fortunate
•    set sensible limits on your spending
•    emphasize relationships not more stuff
•    whether you are or aren’t religious, remember the “reason for the season”.

Yours, on purpose,                           
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

END OF PROGRAM YEAR

END OF PROGRAM YEAR
This is the final week of programming at the Red Maple Mindful Living Center for 2014. This has been a turbulent year, full of hellos and goodbyes, growth and changes. When I was looking at our expectations for 2014, the Year of the Horse, the main themes were those of movement, “herd” development and leadership. It is not difficult to see those themes playing out in our experience of RMML. It is never easy to relocate, but all the more difficult when we leave not one, but two familiar and supportive environments. We had thought to concentrate on our familiar presence at the Marguerite Center, only to realize that their own uncertainty made our co-location problematic.

Perhaps more significant than the theme of movement, is the theme of leadership. Never before, in our 12 year history, have we been in such a position of leadership. We are the pre-eminent training and practice site for mindful living in all of rural Eastern Ontario. We have set the bar very high for these practices and living. It is not difficult to find others who are piggy-backing on the prominence of mindfulness and making that an add-on to their services. Sadly, very few have the training and understanding to do so in an authentic manner. For us, we are not a me-too position, but rather the position of demonstrating the highest quality, most current, and most authoritative presentation of mindful living.

We’ll talk about next year over coming weeks, so this is the appropriate place to express gratitude. First, and foremost, we are grateful for the strength and commitment of all those who have kept Red Maple active over this year. Week after week this dedicated group shares the responsibility described above. We are grateful to former and present landlords who have ensured excellent spaces for our activities.

Note: Last Wednesday was the first, but likely not the last occasion, when it was necessary to cancel our practice session due to dangerous weather conditions. In general, I prefer to err on the side of caution. Myself, I prefer not to drive when there is some risk from weather, and I hope this is similar to other practitioners. My apologies for this inconvenience.

Yours , on purpose,                           
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?
                   
   
       
                   
   

           

PRINTABLE LOOKING BACK WORKSHEET

THE LITTLE STORE

THE LITTLE STORE

Our practice space has expanded its services to all our loyal practitioners with the introduction of The Little Store. We’ve always had books and things people could borrow and that hasn’t changed. Now, with this little addition, we have made available a small selection of popular items for mindful living folks.
The first items are:
•    malas - these are what are commonly called meditation beads. We purchased a bunch from 3Trees in Ottawa, all in a reasonable price range
•    prayer flags - these are an unusual but common Tibetan item which features a set of multi-coloured (chakra colours, in fact) flags printed with prayers and chants.
•    Walk Like A Mountain - Ray’s groundbreaking (or ground-walking at least) work on contemplative walking

People have asked for bells and other items which we will add in the New Year.

In addition, we will add to our lending library of books by bringing in some Buddhist pictures and sculpture which, like the books, can be borrowed for a month. Some of these items will actually be marked for sale as well.

Yours, on purpose,                           
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

LOOKING BACK

LOOKING BACK

Each year for most of the last 10, when we come together on the 3rd Saturday in December, we have used that as an opportunity to look back on the past year. (This year it will be the 2nd Saturday, December 13). On the one hand, we reflect on our announced intentions from January to consider how on track we were. (These are posted in the tab on the Red Maple Leaflet blog). On the other, it is necessary for us to remind ourselves who has contributed to our activities so we can express our gratitude to them. These two activities act together to mark a conclusion to our year, leaving us ready to meet again in the month of January, to set our intentions for the coming year. For this reason, December’s theme is always “looking back”.
Over this past year I have realized there is another aspect to this activity, one which we are wise to highlight. This is momentum. By this I mean to bring us back to the idea we express in our saying “action follows intention - what’s got your attention?” We are never in the position of starting fresh, there is no point in our lives when we are unmotivated by our prior actions, and actions around us. Our lives are, by definition, interdependent with whatever is happening around us. All our choices and decisions occur within a context of countless other decisions and choices, all of which impact on us in some way. The Ayn Rand-ish image of the man of determined power who charts his own course based on his will alone is patently a fantasy, one ignorant of this reality of interdependence.
This looking back needs to measure the form and sources of momentum on which our lives ride. It is like our image of paddling our boat across a wide and rapidly flowing river. We can aim for the other shore, we can have that intention. However, we are wisest to align ourselves with the motion of the current and observe other forces in that stream, including all those other boats among which we are striving. If we try to force our will on the river, we court disaster. Momentum means we act in concert with the river, accepting its will and strength. We will reach the other shore, of this there is no doubt. We will do so most expediently when we work with, not against or ignorant of, the momentum of the river.

Yours , on purpose,                           
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

GET REEL-SORTOF

GET REEL-SORTOF

Must’ve been some Hallowe’en leftovers about ! We held our first movie night this week and the goblins were out in full force. First of all I was sure I had my copy of the planned movie, Departures, handy on my bookshelf. In the days before I checked the shelves at home, at my office and at RMML and no DVD in sight. Hmmmph. Next I remembered to bring our audio kit but forgot to bring my laptop to actually play the movie. Hmmmph again. On the night of the movie, I got hold of a TV and DVD player from a friend (Thanks , Julie). We substituted another film, The Unmistaken Child, and, as they say, they show must go on.
As it turned out, I had never seen the DVD and just had it in our library with plans to watch it “some night”. It was incredible. It was a documentary of the search for a tulku, a reincarnated teacher from one Tibetan sect. It took 3 years to cover the story and the film did not lose its edge in spite of the protracted time-frame. The most touching moment came when the family of the child had to decide to give him over to the monastery. Clearly the family loved the boy but made a decision which only people with a profound spiritual life could make.

We have our first half-day meditation retreat this Saturday. We’ve done workshops before but haven’t done an actual retreat for several years. Looking forward to the intensity and companionship.

Watch for our December SODAI-The Mindful Living Newsletter coming out this Tuesday. There’ll be some minor shuffling in the December schedule because we’ll close for a couple of weeks, from December 20-January 2. As we slide into December, don’t forget to renew your monthly memberships or purchase a new one if you aren’t already a member.


Yours , on purpose,                           
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?
                   
   
       
           

THE FIRST RMML RETREAT

 FIRST RETREAT

This weekend we will be holding our first ever meditation retreat. Unlike the workshops we offer, this is the first actual meditation retreat. We will use the time to bring our best efforts and energies to refine those practices we have relied on to cultivate our lives. For the most part we will alternate between sitting and walking. I will include at least one talk at some point.
This kind of retreat, reminiscent of what we experienced in the Zen environment as a sesshin, allows us to make intimate contact with our shin or heart-mind, through the undistracted engagement with ourselves. The emphasis in this kind of retreat is this direct and simple time where we sit or walk alone with our own body-minds, free of distraction or structure. The traditional images of mirrors and candles are quite apt for this time.
This retreat will run from 1.00 - 4.00pm on Saturday November 22. There is still room if you have the time to spend with us. Participants may attend for the 1.00-2.30 block or the whole event. Cost is $10.00. Contact Ray to register.

This week also marks our first film in the  Get Reel series. We begin with Departures, a heart-felt Japanese film. The lights go down at 6.00

Also to remember is the November KAPPS walk on Sunday 23rd. Visit the KAPPS site for details. http://www.padakun.com/this-months-kapps-walk/


Yours , on purpose,                           
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?
                   
   

Personal and Group Practice

Personal and Group Practice
With the opening of the new Centre, we each have to find a balance between our own practice and the shared practice we find at RMML. I don’t think there is any point in debating which is “better”, whatever that might mean, and I don’t think it is an either/or choice. Both forms of practices are necessary for us to mature in mindful living.
Only solitary practice puts us in an environment of “no hiding place”. When I park myself on my seat, it is just me and the moment. I have no obligations to worry about others in the way that occurs in a group. Whatever arises, distracts or informs me is completely intimate, raw, inescapable. If I slip into distraction or excuse-making or self-praise/criticism, those states stand out like black letters on a white page. 

Conversely, group practice presents an important contrast. We are obliged to make room for others in our space and awareness. We cannot tune people out, turn away or trivialize them. Their practice is inescapably tied up in what we are experiencing, and so we are inescapably required to make room for them. This keeps us focussed on the larger purpose we have for mindful living, that we do it in part for ourselves and in a similar part for the benefit of others. We cannot drift into our own little created space, with our familiar experiences. Practicing with others is a bit like practice outdoors in that we are not able to seal ourselves off, but have to come to terms with all that is happening around us, as well as in us.

Have a look at this week’s other posts:

• Remembrance - The Buddhist concept of memory
• Pedestrianism - A Book Review of a new book on high stakes walking in the Victorian era
• PARA-What? - Exploring the idea of mindful living

Yours , on purpose,                           
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?

NOVEMBER BEGINS

NOVEMBER BEGINS
Its incredibly exciting to be starting our brand new schedule of activities. We talked to as many of you as we could and tried to incorporate all the ideas you suggested. Over the coming months we’ll test out many new events to see how best to share and teach the facets of mindful living.
Wednesdays will now begin at 6.00 pm, usually finishing up by 7.30. On the 2nd Wednesday we’ll begin a format borrowed from my friend Monshin Naamon at his Dharma Centre in up-state New York. It begins with a brief talk on some aspect of mindful living - say, generosity, purpose or relationships, for example. This month it will focus on the big topic of what is mindful living, anyway? After a brief practice period, we’ll get down to some casual eating with a pot-luck. While we eat we can continue with discussions of the theme or wherever we want he conversation to go. 
Another idea which was very much enjoyed when we held it in Renfrew is our Get Reel Movie series. Each month, on the 4th Wednesday we’ll screen a lesser-known but pertinent film that informs our mindful living practice and knowledge. These will be drawn from the best of recent films from all over the world, and will feature films that few in this region have seen. For this month our film is Departures, an extraordinary Oscar-winner from Japan. 


 We hope you will join us soon for any of our exciting programs. To stay informed, check out our monthly Calendar and make sure you are receiving our SODAI Magazine.

Yours , on purpose,                           
Ray
Mindful Living in Renfrew County ....What’s got your attention?