Dear Friends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today we continue our exploration of the earth element through a guided meditation that emphasizes steadiness and non-reactivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an early teaching, the Buddha encourages developing the mind “in tune with the earth” – learning from the earth’s capacity to receive what comes without being pushed or pulled by it. Today’s practice takes up that invitation, using the felt sense of the body as a way of orienting toward stability and ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I invite you to listen to a guided meditation by Jill Shepherd, recorded during a time of transition and change. Rather than emphasizing effort or attainment, the practice encourages an attitude of exploration, allowing steadiness to emerge naturally. The meditation begins by settling into the body and sensing contact and support – the weight of the body resting on the ground, the firmness of bones and teeth, the steadiness of the spine. Attention is gently guided to points of contact with the earth or with whatever is supporting you, allowing the body to fully rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From there, the practice widens to include images from the natural world -trees with deep roots, rocks and minerals – reminding us of the shared materiality of body and earth. This sense of belonging can offer a quiet reassurance: the body already knows how to be supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breath is included as a natural rhythm, received rather than controlled, allowing softness to coexist with stability. Thoughts and mental movements are noticed as they arise and pass, without needing to follow or suppress them. The emphasis throughout is on letting awareness rest – steady, present, and grounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are welcome to listen to the meditation in whatever posture feels supportive, adapting as needed to support ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you practice, you might notice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are invited to share a brief reflection after practicing – by replying to the email or commenting below. Reflections often help others recognize something similar in their own experience and support our shared exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With good wishes, Dear Friends, Today we continue our exploration of the earth element through a guided meditation that emphasizes steadiness and non-reactivity. In an early teaching, the Buddha encourages developing the mind “in tune with the earth” – learning from the earth’s capacity to receive what comes without being pushed or pulled by it. Today’s practice takes up that invitation,\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[380],"tags":[381,46,104],"class_list":["post-2424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jan-2026","tag-earth","tag-elements","tag-jill-shepherd"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2424"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2427,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424\/revisions\/2427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
https:\/\/www.dharmaseed.org\/talks\/70426\/<\/a>
Note: The recording is 46 minutes long, with a long stretch of silence after 20 minutes – so listen as long as works for you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Andrea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"