Online Meditation course

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the course, participants would be able to:

1. differentiate various meditation techniques including concentration/relaxation versus
insight/mindfulness.
2. understand mindfulness with its four foundations, and how to establish it.
3. independently practice by applying mindfulness in formal meditation and in daily life.
4. describe the way and benefits of mindfulness meditation.

Course Content
1. Introduction to meditation
2. Common meditation techniques. Difference (and similarity) between concentration/relaxation
and insight/mindfulness.
3. Medical applications of mindfulness practice.
4. Definition and components of mindfulness.
5. Factors influencing the practice.
6. Concept and reality.
7.Techniques of mindfulness meditation:
-Attitude for practice
-Working with the body and the mind
(including pleasant/unpleasant feeling tone, intention, beautiful/unwholesome mental quality)
-Sitting -Walking -Eating -Mindfulness in daily life - Loving-kindness,
forgiveness, gratitude. - Non-harming commitment

Methods of Instruction: Online (flexible schedule) including:

-Written material. -Audio-guided instruction.
-Video instruction. -Discussion Forum for reports/comments, Q/A.

Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

Forum discussion Weekly quiz (when applicable)
Evaluation questionnaires

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 Unit 1 Introduction to Mindfulness

Most of us find life stressful at times, particularly when afflicted by illness or faced with
difficulties. We tend to be impatient, and lost in the past or in the future instead of being present.
We also tend to resist or react to things by denying, commenting, or judging them rather than
being receptive and trying to understand them. This reaction creates more stress. We do not
fully live our life if we are not entirely in touch with our present life experience.
We tend to take care of our body but neglect our mind. Mental cultivation can be effectively
done through meditation which can enhance one's emotional intelligence (EI).

MEDITATION

Meditation is a form of mental training. There are two general types of meditation.

1/Concentration/relaxation practice:

The meditator usually holds on to a static (fixed), chosen (or given), and often conceptual
(or imaginary) object. It could be a physical one such as the breath, a color disc, certain
sounds, or a mental one such as visualization, a mantra (repeated words/phrases) prayer or well-
wishing and/or compassionate thoughts. Its goal is to cultivate inner goodness or relaxation or
to build deep concentration, which could reach the level of absorption (jhana), a deeply calm
state where one, although awake, may not be aware of external phenomena.

2/Mindfulness/Insight practice:

The object for this practice is, on the other hand, dynamic (changing/adapting), choiceless
(no preference) and real (direct, present time, actual experience at all sense doors as described
in the Four Foundation of Mindfulness). It is usually the most predominant/obvious object that
we perceive. Only the presence of skillful mindfulness, balanced persistent interest and
concentration/calm can give rise to deepening insight.

The two practices (concentration and insight) can be mutually beneficial and practiced together,
but it would be skillful to know the difference between the two, which mode is predominant,
and to let go of holding on to any experience if one's aim is to be on the insight path.

Mindfulness meditation explores life as it is occurring in the present moment, without being
attached to pleasant experiences or resisting unpleasant ones. By paying nonjudgmental
attention to all aspects of life, one develops insights into its ever changing, unsatisfactory and
impersonal nature. One therefore faces the ups and downs with more equanimity/composure,
encountering less stress and confusion, more joy, and inner peace. This form of meditation is
traditionally practiced in meditation centers in South and South-East Asia and more recently in
the West in the form of silent retreats and practiced by people of diverse backgrounds. A secular
and generic form is often taught in western clinical settings under the name "Mindfulness
Based Stress Reduction" (MBSR) as an eight-week course (initially established by Dr. Jon
Kabat-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts) or Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
(MBCT) used in psychotherapy for depression and anxiety and related mental disorder. MBSR
also includes Yoga and other relaxation techniques. There are numerous medical publications

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reporting various medical and non-medical benefits of this practice for chronic pain, stress,
anxiety, depression etc. including studies in cancer patients and healthy volunteers showing
improvement of their quality of life and immune function.

MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness is a mental quality that reminds one to be present. It is the bare, choiceless,
relaxed, moment to moment non-judging attention to the mental or physical activity that is
occurring here and now. It pays equal respect to pleasant and unpleasant objects. It also
possesses a quality of inquiry, patience, and acceptance toward all that is occurring in the
present moment.

Mindfulness is one of the "universal" wholesome (skilful/beautiful) mental factors that when
fully present, will enhance other beautiful mental qualities (such as loving-kindness, joy,
equanimity, generosity, etc.) and weaken the unwholesome (unskilful) ones (such as anger,
jealousy, fear etc...) Therefore practicing mindfulness is a way to make one's mind beautiful.

There are four ways of establishing mindfulness which explore four different aspects of life
experiences:

1) Body (or physical aspect).

One establishes mindfulness by being aware of:

-The breath: being aware of its nature (in or out, long or short, the motion, pressure, tingling,
warmth etc.)
-Body postures (sitting, standing, walking, lying...)
-Physical activities/movements: bending, stretching, reaching, stepping, holding an object,
putting on clothes etc...
-Physical sensations within the body.

A direct way to experience physical sensations is to be aware of reality, the elemental nature:
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texture (hard or soft, rough or smooth, light or heavy), cohesion (binding or wet), temperature
(warm or cool) and dynamics (moving, vibrating or pushing). This differs from the usual
concept of my body as a generalized form or shape which is to be kept in the background in
formal practice. These four kinds of manifestation are traditionally known as the
earth, water, fire, and air (wind) elements.

2) Feeling tone.
Not to be misunderstood as emotion or (physical) sensation (which it is sometimes translated), it
actually is the impressions or quality that is associated with any physical or mental experience:
pleasant (agreeable), unpleasant (disagreeable), or neutral (neither of the above). One notices
that there is simply pleasantness, unpleasantness (physical or mental) or neither (=neutrality)
present in this moment.

3) Mind:
Mindful awareness of consciousness and mental states/emotions/thoughts.

4) Phenomena (Mental objects/contents):

Mindful awareness of phenomena, things that we experience at our sense doors, including "the
mind's door": the dynamic functions and relationships of consciousness, mental states and
thoughts.

With respect to the last two, there are overlaps between Mind and Phenomena (mental objects)
and any object that does not fit in the first three could belong to the fourth one. Therefore, to
simplify (in the context of this introductory course), 3) and 4) could be considered together as
mindfulness of the mind. This involves non-judging awareness of (and objectively observing
how they are manifesting):

- thoughts (thinking, reflecting, remembering, planning, etc.),

- mental states and emotions (sadness/joy, fear/hope, aversion/appreciation, anger/love,
confusion/clarity, drowsiness/agitation etc.) or
- consciousness itself, (the knowing, the container for the above, just as a clear glass holding
water or yellow juice... and is colored by them).

It also includes the observation of specific mental qualities or effects such as the hindrances
(difficulties) of the practice, awakening (insight/enlightenment) factors and the sense door
experiences (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching etc.) - including the mind's reaction to
them. We can also see how we are caught in these experiences, thus being able to free ourselves
from them.

In practice, one does not need to figure out which element or foundation the object represents
but simply to directly experience it, with a relaxed interest without wishing it to be a certain
way. It is helpful however to know which experiences are real (see Concept and Reality) and
to pay more attention to them.

CONCEPT AND REALITY

We normally identify with the conceptual aspect of life. This conventional reality of names and
forms: "I am a student", "my knee hurts", "I am angry" etc. It can be useful for functioning in
the world although it is quite often colored/distorted by our biases, prejudice, past experiences
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(positive or negative) or by misunderstanding, overlook or ignorance.

In formal mindfulness practice, one keeps the "concept" (conceptual reality) in the background
and pays more attention to the true nature or "ultimate reality" of all phenomena (what one
directly experiences in the moment without interpreting or referring to past knowledge). Instead
of "my knee hurts" (concept) one feels the reality of pressure, tension or heat at the knee (first
foundation) or physical unpleasantness (second foundation) or aversion to it (third/fourth
foundation). Instead of "I am angry" (concept), one experiences this emotion or mental state
simply as anger (third/fourth foundation), or mental unpleasantness (second foundation) or the
associated heat or tightness (first foundation). One does not identify with these experiences as
being me, mine or myself but objectively observe them in order to understand their true nature,
just like looking at clouds in the vast sky, like a scientist observing an experiment without bias.

Observing reality helps develop insights and this wisdom allows one to see more reality and less
concept.

SITTING MEDITATION

POSTURE

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THE BREATH

At the beginning of the sitting meditation, consider the breath your home or primary object, a
place to take refuge in during the sitting meditation.

First, take two or three deep breaths if needed to help feel the sensations associated with
breathing: the expansion and contraction of the lower chest or abdomen with each in-breath and
out-breath, one breath at a time. (You can place a hand on the stomach to help feel these few
breaths better). Then breathe naturally without controlling the breath. If you have difficulty
observing the breath there you could try to focus on the area of the nostrils or upper lip (or in
between). Label (mental noting/naming "in" or "rising" and "out" or "falling") as needed.

Follow the changing sensations continuously from the beginning to the end of the in-breath then
from the beginning to the end of the out-breath. Feel the motion/movements, tingling, pressure,
vibration, lightness, heaviness, warmth, coolness... (reality) rather than paying attention to the
superficial form or shape of the abdomen/body or "I am breathing" (concept). Try not to miss
the end of both the in-breath and out-breath. This interest in seeing the end helps sustain the
attention on the object.

After a few moments, you may realize that you are lost in thoughts instead of staying with the
breath. Be willing to begin again and again in the present moment by simply make a soft mental
note of thinking or wandering, then gently allow the attention to fall back on the breath.
You can also make a gentle but firm determination (not now/later, or "thank you for
visiting/sharing") to help letting thoughts go without trying to get rid of them harshly.
Remember that the nature of the mind is to think, therefore do not judge yourself or be
discouraged but be happy that you recognize them (we usually do not) without feeding them or
indulging in them.

One technique to keep the mind from wandering (particularly if there is a gap between the out-
breath and the in-breath) is to note at that gap (or the end): "rising"... "falling" sitting (briefly
bring the awareness to the sitting posture) ... then touching (feel a point in the body such as
the buttocks, the hands, the legs etcwhere there is contact or pressure; change the points at the
next touching). If it is too much to note, just rising..., falling, touching (or
"rising..."falling" ..."sitting", or "rising" , "sitting", "falling", 'touching") would be fine.

Another way is to note "rising...rising...rising, falling...falling...falling..." throughout the in-and-

out breath.

An additional way to reduce the wandering mind is to count the breaths (at the end of rising and
falling) from one to five: risingone, falling one, risingtwo, fallingtwo (begin
again with one after reaching five or if you lose track of counting)...

When a sound, thoughts, feelings, or physical sensations become predominant in your

awareness, gently bring your attention to it (in order to be aware of it with interest without
trying to suppress it, nor feeding it), and as it passes away or no longer stays obvious, gently
bring the attention back to the sensations of the breath. It is like a spider investigating an insect
caught in part of the web, then returns to its center.

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If you find yourself lost in thoughts, rather than judging, simply acknowledge it as thinking
or wandering then gently focus your attention back on the breath. Patiently begin again and
again in the present moment by returning to the primary/home object regardless how many
times you lose it due to wandering thoughts. Accept thoughts as part of a natural process, not
something that should not be there. Later in the course, you can learn more how to work with
thoughts.

WALKING MEDITATION

1/ Informal mindful walk:

As you take a stroll or walk from place to place, simply pay attention to general present time
sense door experiences (moving, stepping, seeing, hearing, touching, breathing, coolness,
pleasantness, etc...) or just have a relaxed, open soft gaze into the moment-to-moment present
time life experience. Although the awareness could occasionally fall on the breath, one does not
need to intentionally keep it there. This type of walk is considered walking meditation in some
traditions. It is a very helpful and practical way of applying mindfulness but it does not replace
the formal walking meditation in this tradition. Likewise, overall mindfulness in daily life
activities does not replace formal sitting.

2/ Formal walking meditation:

During formal walking meditation, one establishes mindfulness mainly through the physical
aspect (first foundation) without paying attention to other experiences. Simply choose an
individual path and walk back and forth while applying mindfulness of the body: the body
moving, the feet touching the ground, the changing sensations of motion, heaviness, pressure,
tingling, coolness...

RIGHT ATTITUDE

To be relaxed yet alert.

Have no expectations.

Let go of controlling. Let it be. Try not to make any thing happen but also not to reject anything
(not adding or subtracting anything, just observe things as they really are).

Hold a joyful interest in understanding life by simply watching it unfolding in each moment:
accept and observe both "good" and "bad" experiences, not wishing the pleasant ones to last and
the unpleasant ones to stop.

Roots of stress:

-Wanting something to happen is attachment.

-Wanting something to go away is aversion.
-Not knowing what is happening is delusion.

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NON-HARMING COMMITMENT

Just like a farmer preparing the land before planting his/her crop, to embark upon the
mindfulness practice, it is helpful to commit oneself to a harmonious way of life, allowing the
mind to be peaceful and more conducive to this practice. Be kind to yourself and to others. One
traditional way is to follow, as best as one can, the five training guides or commitment of
refraining from

1) Killing any living being

2) Taking what belongs to others
3) Harmfully expressing ones sexual energy
4) Using untruthful or harsh speech and
5) Habitual or more than moderate use of substances (such as alcohol or drugs) that could cloud
the mind or harm the body.

Instead of feeling guilty if one breaks one of these training guides, reflect on how it was
unskillful and resolve to do better the next time.

Try to renew this commitment daily, perhaps as you begin the day or before the formal sitting.

You can also take the positive approach of the above by making an effort to

1) Protect lives
2) Be generous
3) Keep harmony and commitment in relationships
4) Utter comforting and beneficial speech and
5) Live a (physically and mentally) healthy life

*Try your best to commit to this way of life at least during this course for it to be fruitful.

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Unit 2 Walking Meditation

1- Overview
In the second week, in addition to the sitting, you will also learn the walking meditation and
loving-kindness. Please also read the introduction and first week's material again
periodically when you have a chance. You may find new meanings in it.

2-Walking meditation

Standing lifting moving placing standing

2-1/ Informal mindful walks

As you walk about from place to place, or take a stroll, simply pay attention to general present
time sense doors' experiences (moving, stepping, seeing, hearing, touching, breathing, coolness
etc...) One way is to spend a moment (short or long as suitable) with seeing, a moment with
hearing, a moment with stepping etc... or just have a relaxed, open soft gaze into the moment-
to-moment present time life experiences. Although the awareness could occasionally fall on the
breath, one does not need to intentionally keep it there. This type of walk is considered walking
meditation in some tradition. It is a very helpful and practical way of applying mindfulness but
it would not replace the formal walking meditation, just like the mindfulness during daily life
activities would not replace the formal sitting (in this tradition). If this seems too complicated,
simply feel each step as much as practical as you walk.

2-2/ Formal walking meditation

In formal walking meditation, one establishes mindfulness mainly within the first foundation
(physical aspect, without paying attention to other experiences). In this tradition, one usually
does not pay attention to the breath, and observe mainly the posture or the lower body from the
hip down, during the formal walking meditation.

Find a secluded and relatively straight and even path (indoor or outdoor) where you can walk
for about ten to twenty steps each way back and forth. If that is not available, walking fewer
(and shorter) steps along the hallway or alongside your bed or desk would be fine. You can walk
with bare feet or with comfortable footwear. Stand at one end, eyes gazing slightly downward to
see where you are walking. Try not to stare at the feet or investigate your surroundings. The
hands can either be held together in front, in the back, or on the sides. Bring your awareness to
your standing posture, feel the uprightness of your body, the tension in the legs, and the pressure
on the soles of the feet. It might be helpful to silently note standing.

Start to walk relaxingly at a normal pace* toward the other end of the path while being aware of
each step. Feel the entire movements of the leg, feel the feet touching the ground, and note
stepping stepping or right left Keep the steps natural and relaxed. You can also
keep a general awareness of the body moving without focusing on any particular part. This
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(normal pace) walking meditation can be applied throughout the day, whenever you remember
to be mindful. When reaching the end, be aware of stopping, standing and turning before
beginning to walk in the opposite direction back to where you were.

After a few moments, when you feel calmer, slow down a bit and feel the movements of lifting
(note lifting) and stepping (note stepping) of the foot. If you walk for a period longer than
10-20 minutes, the pace can become slower and the noting will be liftingmoving
stepping. Feel the most obvious sensations, moment by moment, anywhere in the hip, thigh,
knee, or foot (tension, heaviness, pressure, tingling, or warmth etc rather than the form or
shape of the leg/foot or the concept of my leg or "walking") (See "Concept and reality").
When in the slow speed, the standing and turning could be noted in more details: note
stopping" (feel the body slowing down to a stop) turning(feel the turning motion)
"standing" (which could be a short pause or a minute of contemplation in this posture, before
or after the turning) and again Lifting... moving... stepping while walking back to the initial
point. Youcan try touching the front of the foot first when stepping to see if it is easier in slow
walking.

If you find yourself lost in thoughts, simply acknowledge it as thinking then gently bring your
attention back on the movements of walking. (Later in the course, when you have learned how
to be mindful of thoughts and emotions, if they are strong, temporarily stop and bring the
awareness to them or to the breath or body). If you need to scratch or cough, stop while
mindfully scratching or coughing before resuming the walk. When the mind is quiet and
mindfulness becomes natural, you can experience the posture, motion and sensations without
the need of naming/labeling (use it as needed). Conversely, you can add counting (the steps, as
with the breath in the sitting) if needed to keep the mind from straying to other objects.

*You could also walk at any pace that feels right in that moment (or to keep balance) without
going through the various speeds as described. Do the walking by itself, before or after the
sitting, or when it works for you.

**If you are not able to walk, bring your hand(s)/arm(s) up and down (one arm or alternating
both) while feeling the sensations associated with these movements, or feel the arms operating
the wheelchair, or the fingers operating the joy-stick... Feel the changing sensations in the
hand/arm the same way one would feel in the leg while walking.

3-Loving-Kindness
Loving-kindness (Metta) meditation is a concentration practice which can be complementary to
the mindfulness practice. It adds softness to the practice and helps cope with difficulties when
mindfulness does not seem to work.

Metta is a Pali (an ancient language similar to Sanskrit) term which literally means friendliness.
It is unconditional love, with care, and without expectation. It has the quality of non-possessive
and non-clinging (romantic love is not Loving-Kindness). It is gentle and non selective just as
the rain falls on all subjects on earth nourishing all it touches regardless of who or what is good
or bad. Loving-Kindness is well-wishing thought towards all beings. It is usually compared to
the love of a mother for her only child. It is helpful to reflect on some good quality of the Metta
subject (the person you are about to send love to). You can think of a simple nice thing that this
person has done for you or for someone else before evoking the intention of well-wishing for
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this person. It is important to feel Loving-Kindness in the heart and not just be reciting the
words (silently) Although one can start with words, eventually the feeling of love and
connection will come.

One traditionally starts with forgiveness phrases, both asking for and forgiving: if I have
knowingly or unknowingly caused harm to anyone, I ask their forgiveness. If anyone has hurt
me, I forgive them. If you have difficulty with this, forgive just yourself or skip it for now and
try later when loving-kindness has been established.

Begin the Loving-kindness by expressing it first to yourself. Reflecting on your good qualities,
on happiness, and your right to be happy is far from being selfish: experiencing/acquiring Metta
allows one to fully share it with others (not unlike "love your neighbor like yourself"). Allow
this feeling to pervade your entire being. Extend this feeling to a benefactor (such as a parent or
teacher), a dear friend, a neutral person, and (later in the practice, if possible) ending with a
difficult person while reflecting on some good quality this subject has. You can also radiate the
Metta energy spatially outward to the people/beings in this neighborhood, town, state, country,
world and the universe.

The four traditional phrases are

-"May I be free from harm

-May I be well
-May I be happy
-May I live with ease
or simply
May I be happy, safe and at ease" or " May I be well, happy and peaceful.

Then substitute I for you, then eventually substitute all beings for you.
Silently repeat these (or your own phrases) while feeling it (if possible) in the heart area. You
can synchronize the phrases with the breath. Example: "May I be safe" with the in-breath, "May
I be well, happy and peaceful" with the out-breath. Be creative. There could be visions and/or
felt sense without words. Remember to relax and be comfortable. You can stay with just one
category (like yourself), or two, for the entire period.

This practice can be done formally at the beginning or the end of a mindfulness sitting
meditation, by itself, (using the attached audio below) or informally during the day whenever
applicable/practical. It can be done also while walking back and forth (like in the formal
mindful walking meditation) while reciting the phrases, if it is easier for you. You may not feel
anything at first but please be patient. It is like turning on the air-conditioner in a hot room and
coolness will come later. It might be helpful to gradually develop loving kindness, like turning
on the light gradually with a dimmer switch, so that one would not be startled by the bright light
or see too many junks (in the basement or closet) at once.

4-Forgiveness
Forgiveness is to let go of past suffering and the attachment to someone's fault. It is not
necessarily to condone it or forget it, or to continue to relate to that person. Forgiveness is a
process that could take a lifetime to unfold but it can benefits us immediately.

The first step is, just like temporarily dropping a burden in order to rest, see if you can offer
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forgiveness or let go of hatred and fear in this moment. Once you have realized the freedom
without this burden, you will try to abandon it.
It may be less difficult to offer a blanket-forgiveness to all without focusing on the most
difficult person.

Then, if you are able to, reflect on the situation as something unpleasant or hurtful had
happened. It might have been said or done (or not done) intentionally but possibly due to some
misunderstanding. This action might have been conditioned by some unhappy experiences that
the person had suffered from, or he or she might not have done it intentionally (imagine being
bumped into by a blind person). The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote "If we could
read the secret history of our enemies, we would find in each person's life sorrow and suffering
enough to disarm all hostility". You can also reflect on the law of cause and effect and try to
have compassion for the potential suffering that the involved person will likely experience if
his/her action was done with the intention to harm.

Forgiving oneself is difficult sometimes, especially since we are used to the culture in which
guilt and self pity/hatred are prevalent. However, like Loving-kindness, one should be able to
forgive oneself in order to truly forgive others. Before reciting the phrases in the guided
instruction or other phrases of your own, you could try the following:

- Allow memories, images and emotions (of the situation that you have not
forgiven yourself for) to come up in your mind :
- "Can I accept that I am just an ordinary human being with both bad and good qualities, and
who can make mistakes? "
- "Did I not suffer enough from these actions? "
- "I have learned and grown, and I am ready to open my heart to myself"
-"May I not be held prisoner by my past".
Etc
One usually begins a Loving-kindness meditation with forgiveness.
However, if you are not ready for forgiveness, try the Loving-kindness first. When the heart is
full of loving-kindness, it will be easier to forgive.

May we all be able to forgive.

5-Practice of the week

1/Sitting meditation, practicing awareness of the body, including the breath as in week 1, daily
(using the audio of week 1, if you find it helpful).

2/Walking meditation without audio for 5-10 minutes a day (after listening to the audio and
practice with it once or twice). It can be done alone or preferably before the sitting, daily.

3/Loving-kindness meditation (at least once or twice, then optional, using the audio, if you find
it helpful). Do this by itself or before or after the mindfulness sitting (or walking).

4/Body scan (optional, whenever practical and in any posture).

5/Mindfulness during daily activities.

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-An hourly chime of the watch/clock, the ring of the doorbell or telephone, or a computer
warning sound could be used as reminders of mindfulness. Pause and relax for a few seconds,
and/or take a couple of mindful breaths, or simply come back to the present moment and be
mindful of hearing and of what you are doing at each reminder.

-Informal mindful walks, when practical. Feel the steps as you walk from place to place.

6/Diary and report as in week 1.

7/During the formal sitting, any strong sensations should be mindfully observed in order to see
their characteristics: tingling, heat, vibration...and how they change when one is aware of them,
at least for a few moments before going back to the anchor (in order to build up concentration).
Go back on occasions, perhaps to the periphery of the strong sensation, if they are still
predominant. When the experience is judged overwhelming, unbearable, move or scratch
mindfully while observing the movement as a meditation in action (similar to walking
meditation). During the formal walking meditation, if similar strong sensations occur, stop the
walk and observe as suggested above. Later in the course, thoughts and emotions would be
handled in a similar way with more tools.

8/In general, walking in nature is more of an informal mindfulness (M) exercise where one
would apply M in any of the sense door which is most obvious in the moment. One pays
attention perhaps more to the movements of walking but also observes seeing, hearing,
breathing... The formal walk is usually done back and forth in a secluded place and one pays
attention mainly on the body, the movements and sensations associated with walking. In slower
pace, one foot may start to lift before the other ends its step. Pay attention to the one more
predominant (keeping the other one in the background). One way to minimize this is to place
the foot down with the toes first (rather than the heel).

6- Sample report

Jan C. Vancouver,BC/Canada, week 2:

Sitting. Continuing struggle between thoughts and attending to breath. Sometimes I was able to
feel the motion, tightness, warmth in the belly.
I do not have a name or word for some of the body sensations observed.
In formal walking finding a rhythm took several sessions because I was walking too quickly.
The guidance of the video and audio is very helpful. Sensations observed were predominantly
from knees down. Several times each day I had some mindfulness when walking.
Metta creates peace and calm within me. Observed some difficulty with forgiveness of myself. I
used the audio for each session.

I did the body scan once this week. For mindfulness throughout the day I am able to report
about fifth percent success. My objective is that at the beginning of each meal I pay attention to
body sensations and the present moment.
Q= should I do the Metta before or after the mindfulness sitting?
****Do not worry about thoughts and struggle with them. The more you relax and take it easy
the easier it will be. Good description of the elemental sensations. Do not try to find words to
describe the experience; just feel it. Repetitive actions such as walking or eating are good
object to practice in daily activities.
Good report. Please continue with the same interest.
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