"Mindfulness brings concentration. Concentration brings insight. Insight liberates you from your ignorance, your anger, your craving. When you are free from your afflictions happiness becomes possible......When body and mind are together, you are fully present." Thich Nhat Hanh
The above is an excerpt from an interview with the well known and respected Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, in the July 2010 Shambhala Sun magazine. I used this as our beginning meditation in tonight's class. A mindfulness practice can alleviate stress, anxiety, and many addictive disorders. Mindfulness means slowing down our busy lives and living in the here and now. Taking the time to sit quietly even if it's only for a few moments to calm the mental chatter that becomes habit in all of us. By practicing mindfulness we can learn to recognize the thoughts that are not useful for us and simply let them go. Once we quiet the chatter we can then listen to what our hearts have to say. Our minds and bodies are now working in unison and we begin to understand that everything we have been looking for externally is found only within us.
Until next Wednesday,
Namaste~
Chica
PS: bonus video of my weekend for practicing mindfulness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrrA1hZWyOo
(to open link in new window, right click on link and choose Open Link in New Window or Tab)
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