“The route of true happiness, the Buddha argued, was to achieve a visceral understanding of impermanence, which would take you off the emotional roller coaster and allow you to see your dramas and desires through a wider lens. To truly tame the 'monkey mind' and defeat our habitual tendency toward clinging, meditation was the prescription, and sitting and actively facing the 'voice in your head' mindfully for a few minutes a day might be the hardest thing you'll ever do. Accept that challenge and improve your life drastically. It's about mitigation, not alleviation. It's that simple. The only way out is through.”
-Dan Harris
10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works
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I have taken a new approach to my daily meditation.
I am approaching it with an open heart and an innocent curiosity about what might come up-emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually.
It has been wonderfully liberating.
It is not a chore or something I must do...it is something I WANT to do.
I love my mind.
I love monkeys.
Yet, I find it incredibly challenging when the monkeys get inside my mind.
The most wonderful part of my meditation practice (which takes many forms: movement, watching a river, walking by a lake, singing, chanting, dancing, writing, watching a fire, sitting in silence, guided visualization, etc.) is listening to my HEART.
My heart loves the monkey mind, yet eases it out of the driver's seat.
When that happens, there is a moment of bliss that can only be a glimpse of the truth of who I am. Who we all are.
So I love the image of the monkeys holding hands.
We are all in this together....a bunch of wild money minds yearning for our bliss.
It might not all be blue skies everyday, but there is hope.
And there is always LOVE.
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Love,
Maura💞
Unsplash Photo: Park Troopers