Programs > Joy of Living Meditation Group Program

Series III – Calming the Mind - Integration

Part I – Bringing awareness to relationships

Points to Consider
Relationships are one of the best barometers of our inner lives. When we are centered and aware, we can relate to others in the moment, dropping long-standing expectations and judgments and relating to them as they are in the present. When we get caught up in emotional reactivity, however, we often see others through the prism of memory and expectation. Meditation enables us to defuse emotional reactivity and learn to stay centered in the midst of challenging situations.

Questions for Discussion

• How do we relate differently to others when we are aware in the present moment vs. when we are identified with our thoughts and emotions?
• What is the difference between love and attachment? How might meditation allow us to reinforce feelings of unconditional love and compassion?
• What are some ways that we can integrate the different types of awareness practice (i.e., open awareness, awareness of the senses, awareness of thoughts and emotions) with our relationships? Identify some recent interactions you've had with others and how they may have turned out differently if you had been mindful and aware at the time.

Daily Meditation Practice
On the cushion: When memories or thoughts arise from your day, notice if there is judgment or reaction and observe what unfolds with bare awareness.

Off the cushion: Notice how many positive emotions you experience in a day ie love, compassion, generosity, patience, friendliness. Notice the effect that they have on your experience.

Reading: Joy of Living Review pg 166 & 167

Part II – Bringing awareness to work

Points to Consider
Our professional lives often elicit the entire range of emotions: pride, frustration, boredom, confusion, envy, and so on. For this very reason, they are also fertile ground for developing the awareness we cultivate in meditation. With awareness, our jobs and careers can be transformed into sources of lasting fulfillment and bring great meaning to our lives.

Questions for Discussion

• How might our experience of work be transformed when we view our vocation as an opportunity to cultivate awareness?
• What are some aspects of your job that often trigger emotional responses? How might you approach these situations using the meditation techniques we've been learning and how might this change the way you respond?
• Why do we so easily forget to be mindful while working? How can we remind ourselves to be aware?

Daily Meditation Practice
On the cushion: At the beginning of the day, notice your attitude to the tasks that you are to perform that day. At the end of each day, notice if there is any residue in the mind from your work. See if you can allow these feelings to be.

Off the cushion: Pick one simple task that you do each day - such as reaching for the phone, turning on the computer, or walking down a hallway - and make an intention to do it with mindfulness.

Reading: Joy of Living 200 - 203 

Part III – Facing Challenges with Awareness

Points to Consider
Challenging situations like illness, the loss of a job or a loved one, and problems at home or at work are often times when our emotions take over and we feel powerless to manage our inner lives. In meditation, we learn to stay centered in the midst of emotional turmoil by taking painful feelings and situations as a support for meditation. Instead of running from such situations or acting out, we simply observe our experience as it unfolds, embracing the situation with compassion and awareness.

Questions for Discussion

• What is it that makes difficulties so challenging? How can we bring awareness to these "sticking points" and change the way we respond to such situations?
• How might different approaches to meditation, such as focusing on the senses vs. emotions, or open awareness vs. thoughts, change our experience of a particular situation? Which approach seems the most natural to you?
• What role does daily meditation practice play in enabling us to stay centered in the face of stressful experiences? 

Daily Meditation Practice
On the cushion: When unpleasant experiences arise, notice if there is a tendency to turn away from them. See if instead you can be aware of these experiences as they occur.

Off the cushion: When you encounter a situation that you naturally want to move away from, see if you can remain aware and interested in what is happening in the mind. Notice what supports you in staying present.

Reading: Joy of Living 124 last para. To end of chapter

Part IV – Awareness in daily life

Points to Consider
Daily life provides us with endless opportunities to "wake up." Even activities that we normally associate with distraction and escapism, such as watching t.v., can be transformed into deeply meaningful activities by using them as gateways to awareness. Eventually, we can learn to rest in meditative awareness throughout the day, regardless of where we are and what we are doing.

Questions for Discussion

• What are some activities that we typically use to escape the present moment? How can these same activities be taken as supports for meditation practice?
• How do we meditate while eating? While falling asleep? How does meditating change the way we ordinarily experience these activities?
• How does bringing awareness to everyday activities lead to a more joyful existence?

Daily Meditation Practice
On the cushion: If you are sleepy or dull, notice the awareness of the experience. Knowing that you are experiencing dullness is itself clarity.

Off the cushion: Pick an activity that you use for escape and see if you can watch the mind as you do the activity.

Reading: Joy of Living  203-204