Just as the sun peeps over the horizon, the light bounces off the water and hits the Paw Paw trees. Details and colors from the decaying leaves jump out. Here are a few ‘leaf portraits.’
The equipment has a lot to do with the detail and color saturation. For the geeks, these are shot with a Canon T1i with a 70-200mm 1:2.8L series lens and a 1.4x teleplus pro extender, the latter a new addition with thanks and gratitude to Kevin McDonough, my photography benefactor and dharma buddy.
The productive gardens at Seven Oaks retreat center.
I’m just back from the IMCW week-long retreat at Seven Oaks. Seven days of silent practice. I’m a bit bleary, but inspired. I was up at 5:45 to lead morning yoga and each day I was fully engaged. Mornings were filled with back to back interviews and I did a dharma talk, led a metta meditation and afternoon yoga. I’d fall into bed each night pretty spent.
I’ll have links to the talks and possibly a number of my movement classes available in the near future.
We had 67 yogis for the weekend and 43 who stayed on for the whole week. It takes a special kind of maniac to sit for a week of silent practice. I have to say this was an inspiring collection of maniacs.
We had over 30 people turned away for this retreat so if you’re interested in the five-day New Year’s Retreat coming up at the end of December, you might want to register now. We’ll have a repeat gathering of the teachers: Tara Brach, Pat Coffey, Hugh Byrne and myself.
The first frost of the season arrived, quickly disappearing in the morning sunlight. A few select morning shots for you:
From crystal to vapor.
Flushing a buck.
Dead on the job. I don't know about the resolution here, but you can see ice crystals on the bee's back.
Canadian Thistle in Transition
Morning. Glory.
My morning ritual is pretty simple. Roll out of bed, get dressed, use the bathroom, grab my camera and paraphernalia, roust the dogs and head out into the woods. I’m either in pitch darkness or with some light from the moon.
The dogs are in full bliss state and it’s easy to tap into their alertness, joy and enthusiasm.
Whatever route I take through the woods and fields to the water, I’m almost always there to catch the sunrise. My dear Uncle Dave, who taught creative writing most of his life, used to often gripe about how our language doesn’t reflect reality.
“It’s not sunrise,” he would often say, “It’s actually earthturn.”
So here are some choice Earth Turn photos from the past ten days:
You know that 'tangled up' feeling?
You may know I am trained as a trainer in the art of Focusing, a mind/body discipline that is intimately related (in my opinion) to the art of meditation.
You can listen to a half hour interview with moi on this topic interviewed by Serge Prengel, who conducts Focusing-related interviews for the Focusing Institute.
If you are interested, you can read more about Focusing on my site.
I love this work.
With any gnarly issue, whether it be physical pain, emotional turmoil, obsessive thinking or a general sense of malaise, this approach has a potent way of getting under the story to where it lives inside and can help cultivate a fundamental shift as to how it feels and how you relate to it.
As you’ll hear me say, my experience of Focusing is that it is not only intensely therapeutic, but ultimately I view it as a training in how we pay attention.
Just as in meditation we learn, over time, to shift our attention from the world of thought and story to the direct and immediate compassionate inquiry into present embodied experience.
When Joseph Goldstein was in DC this summer he shared an inquiry he’s found quite helpful in his meditation practice. I’ve noticed it helpful as well and have been sharing this when I guide meditation.
“What is the attitude in your mind right now?” Is there striving? Aversion? Grasping?
Somehow this question can help to ‘reset’ my awareness from being consumed by a reaction to what’s happening to an attitude of softening, noticing and being more present to whatever is there.
In class this week I mentioned the retreats led by Sayadaw U Tejaniya, who emphasizes focusing not as much on technique as on being intimately aware of the attitude in each moment – the relationship to this play of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations.
Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Tricycle Magazine recently featured an interview with U Tejaniya where he goes deeper into the practice of ‘mindfulness in everyday life.” He also has a few interesting things to say about his experience of depression and the practice of ‘noting,’ which I mentioned in class this week.
I hope you enjoy it.
From this morning just after sunrise, tracking migrating geese heading for the horizon.
With Fall here and temperatures not yet below freezing, the spiders seem to be going all out.
These shots from are from wandering the woods during recent heavy-dewed morning, just after sunrise.
Open the senses, hang out here for a while ... and something happens.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
- Lao Tzu
I’m back from a daylong retreat we called “Buddha on the Beach: Meditation in Nature”.
We alternated between gathering together in our room at the Biden Environmental Center and wandering on our own in the woods, dunes and beaches of Henlopen State Park in Lewes, Delaware exploring the two fundamentals of meditation: Deep Relaxation and Paying Attention.
Retreats are for me a sacred balance of ‘being alone together.’ At the end of the day we sat in meditation then shared an insight from the day. As we went around the circle I was touched at how an environment of caring community and natural beauty fosters such inner balance and joy.
The Insight Meditation Community of Lewes is a wonderful little sangha by the sea. When you’re in town and would like to connect with wonderful folks, look them up.
Thank you all for your wonderful hospitality.
