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HOLD THIS.
I sat in meditation practice this week, guided by our professor in practice called tonglen, the practice of receiving and sending, and I heard this simple phrase, "This, too, I can hold."
The heart-cultivating practice of tonglen asks us to invite in our pains, challenges, difficulties, or discomforts as we breath-in, an act of receiving. It feels counter-intuitive to breathe in our challenges and much more familiar to avoid them--this is an act of courage. We only invite in what we can, clear of our boundaries and aware of what's okay today to visit with. As we breathe in our pains and challenges, we transform them in the heart rather than the mind. We hold our pains within our capacity and invite the heart to open around them.
He painted the picture of our hearts as coated in a shell, but the covering would crack like an egg ever so gently, and slowly a clear blue light would emerge. Inviting the possibility of knowing, "This, too, I can love." or "This, too, I can hold."
The journey of the meditation practice was to consider the shared humanity behind your pains, that you're not alone, encouraging the awareness of the heart to wrap around those individuals too--widening our "circle of concern." Our hearts expand around what is painful, not just for us but for others too.
As we exhale, we send out the transformation of those pains in the form of compassion. The intention is not just to escape our pains and focus the practice only on ourselves but to be motivated to recognize our shared dependence on one another--interconnectedness. By embracing our challenges and discomforts and metabolizing them with love and understanding, we can better show up to help those around us. We're aware, mindful, and awake to our heart's capacities.
Practice tonglen with me today here - This, too, I can hold.
Meditate Today
20-minute heart-cultivation practice—tonglen practice. May practice show you the strength and capacity of the heart. Remember this may be new to you. Be kind to yourself as you learn to practice. Some days it comes easier than others but over time it strengthens. Easy does it and begin again. :) Listen here on Spotify and iTunes.
Daily Intention: “I soften my judgment to hear my heart.”
May this be an intention to notice the critical and judgmental mind with understanding and acceptance while welcoming the wisdom of the heart to take the lead.
DID THIS RESONATE?
Let me know what you thought in the comments below. Feel free to pop in and say hello over on social!
@laurenlee.love and @calmpoint_
Weekly Practice: Hold this.