Dear One,
Though there is only one more day of the Feast for the Soul, I imagine your effort to continue your practice and inspire others doesn't end then. I am fortunate to be heading to the UK on a meditation mission: to lead two mass meditations in May!
One of the first public meditation gatherings was in Nottingham square two years ago. What an inspiring time People young and old gathered in the town square as I led them in a loving kindness meditation.
Sue Cooper is the meditation teacher and the woman behind this effort. She asked me to urge you to join her. She has created a movement called MOMM: moments of mass mindfulness. What would it be like to create a moment of mass mindfulness in your community? The weekend of May 11 and 12 is when we'll do it in England. You can host one where you live, too.
Visit this page for how to do just that!
"For a second, close your eyes and picture this: people from around the world assembled in mass meditation, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in a shared moment of silence, their eyes closed and minds free from any cultural or religious differences.” - World Culture Festival
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I am practicing with you.
Love, Sarah
Sarah McLean
Director, Feast for the Soul, Inc.
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Meditation Teacher Highlight
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Eva Robbins
is a rabbi, cantor, artist, Reiki practitioner, and author. She sees herself as a late-bloomer who has discovered skills and passions as she’s surrendered to her alchemic process. As a child of Holocaust survivors and a caregiver to her husband who has both chronic and acute medical challenges, she has waded through the darkness but always found light and expansion. Her greatest joy is supporting others to continue their own spiritual journeys and find a path to elevate their lives. “Whether through music, prayer, study, yoga, meditation, or celebration of Holy Days, we can each find our doorway to wellness, healing, and expansion.” Eva’s Series for the Feast for the Soul encompasses Judaism, the Torah, and their mystical elements.
Check out her meditations here.
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Creating Peace on Earth
It doesn’t take a scientific study to know that meditators feel less stress, more peace, equanimity, and an enhanced sense of well-being. In fact, these effects have been recorded in the earliest texts on yoga and meditation in India, China, and Japan. Modern-day brain imaging is now catching up with what ancient wisdom has been saying all along: meditation helps you to live a peaceful life, and by you being peaceful, you help to create a peaceful world. Thank you.
“If there is to be peace in the world,
there must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
there must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
there must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
there must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
there must be peace in the heart.”
-Lao Tzu, 6th Century BCE
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Bliss Buddy: Focus on Gratitude with
Anne Sussman,
author of the Bliss Buddy Project.
There is so much to be grateful for in life--from the moment we are born we breathe. Beginning there, to just be grateful for your breath, for your life, is the way to start.
Gratitude begins and ends my day.
Before my feet hit the floor each morning I say “Thank you, thank you, thank you”. It is true that where you put your attention, grows. It’s like watering a plant--your attention is love. When you put your attention on small moments of joy in your life, you will be amazed at how they begin to grow. Being on the lookout gives you the opportunity to see what you are looking for. This is about the steps it takes to start living that way and having more of that joy in your life.
The Acronym: N.E.W.S.
Notice-
Noticing the small moments of joy is the first step to cultivating this practice. Make a choice everyday to be on the look out. Once you begin turning your attention to these small moments, you will find them almost everywhere.
Experience
- What am I seeing? What am I feeling? What am I hearing, tasting, and smelling right now? Experiencing fully through all your senses, just as the moment of joy is happening, is the best way to begin. Being tuned in, present, and engaging all your senses is a great way to imprint that joyful moment into your brain and turn it into a strong memory. Being fully present is how we experience the most joy we can out of life. If you’re thinking about the past or the future, it’s impossible to live in the moment. It is only when you are dialed in to right now that you can fully experience that feeling of being in the zone. That’s when the "Aha" moments of life become available to you. When you stay in the present more, you have more of the "Aha" moments.
Write it down
-Writing it down--keeping a journal or just a quick note helps to solidify the experience. There is a visual record of what the moment was--a way to remember it when you move on in your fast-paced life. Taking that time to just jot it somewhere helps to keep it ever present.
Share-
Share it! This is the essence of the Bliss Buddy Project--taking the time to share it. Find a partner, a Bliss Buddy. Make a commitment to do this with someone for two weeks in a row. Exchange emails every day and in the subject line write, “Bliss”. Then just send a quick note - “Bliss moment today was when I walked outside, the sun shone down on my face”. That’s all there is to it! Making a commitment to doing this keeps you accountable to noticing what those moments are through out your day.
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