Charlotte Center For Mindfulness // Podcasts Lindsay Bridges

There is a tradition beautiful Buddhist practice of taking refuge.  In this practice I expand on that practice with a broadened understanding of taking refuge.

Join me for a sharing of an old Zen story about a head cook and his unexpected soup and how this story is so useful for being skillful with our mistakes, including those involving racial bias awareness.

There are many different flavors to "efforting" -- some useful and some not so useful.  What is it like to intention explore a balanced soft effort that allows you to stay engaged with your practice, without over-efforting and contracting.

A dream about engaging the right kind of effort inspired this exploration of different kinds of "efforting" -- everything from not enough effort, to punishing grunt work effort, to a soft, open, trusting effortless effort.

So often we burden our meditation practice with loaded expectations of what it should look like and what should happen if I am a good meditator.  But in reality every meditation is an open invitation to lay down those expectations and meet what is here.  Just as it is.  Without needed it to be any different.  Without needing to change or fix anything.  Maybe even with a sense of wonder and awe that we can even perceive what is here...

I share how our beloved cat, Ana, who has been in "hospice" care for a while, died sometime during the night, and how a serendipitous find of Licity Collins and her beautiful music and writing spoke to the tenor of my day and the mystery of letting go into the current of the universe.



Here is the link to read her story and listen to her 22 min musical meditation called "Currents."  Note her generosity in freely offering this beautiful sharing and her link to donate in support of her work if you wish.