Dear Friends,
Just a short email today. š
Feel free to keep working on mindfulness of breathing. Gil Frondsdal says that one of his teachers told him thatĀ mindfulness of breathing is enough, in and of itself, for a person to become enlightened.
In theĀ Search Inside YourselfĀ capstone session, Brandon Rennels, one of the instructors of the in-person class I attended last September, reviewed the “cue-routine-reward” pattern that is part of a habit loop. (This is based on the work of Charles Duhigg, inĀ The Power of Habit.)
An example many of us can relate to:Ā your phone buzzes (cue), you pickĀ up the phone to see who sent you a text (routine);Ā you are happy that you heard from your friend (reward). The reward will re-inforce the cue so that the next time the cueĀ happens, your brain has already figured out what it’s going to do (look at text) and how it’s going to feel (happy).
Today, look for a specific cue that you can use as a reminder to takes some mindful breaths. Maybe it’s when you turn off the car. Or when you return to your desk after a meeting. One of my cues is when I’m about to hit send on an email.
The cue happens. (I’m finished writing this email.)
Take a mindful pause. (I notice the in-breath and out-breath.)
Appreciate how you feel as a result of that pause. (Relaxed, calm, happy.)
I can’t wait to send you another email tomorrow!
With best wishes,
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
Really liked the idea of a cue to help us be mindful and breathe. Standing up and walking is such a cue for me. Washing dishes is another one. I’m going to develop some more. Also liked what Gill F. teacher said that mindfulness of breathing is enough for a person to become enlightened. In the story of Dipa Ma by Amy Schmidt, Dipa Ma was a great one for telling householders that they could practise anywhere. She had many of her family members meditating, some in the same room where children were running around and making a lot of noise. Dipa was passionate about her family members achieving as she said, at least the first level of enlightenment. She didn’t believe in socializing. One should be meditating instead. That might be going a bit too far for some of us, but it serves to show her dedication. Also, enjoyed reading your bio, Andrea, and learning about all the retreats you’ve done and the books you’ve read. Gives me good ideas for what I might like to read. Thanks!
Thanks Andrea. And Carol.