The first time I ever meditated, it partially drove me crazy and partially thrilled me. I had to set the alarm to meditate 15 minutes from start to finish, because before using the alarm, I would keep peeking at the clock to see how much time had gone by. I took a meditation class about 25 years ago. I only showed up once. And yet, I was quite interested. Someone gave me a book about meditation and its wonders. I wasnt sure what the fuss was all about....but I was still curious. I would decide Im going to meditate every morning! and strangely, never do it. Or do it for a few days, then never again. It seemed like it would pop right out of my mind, or get stuffed under the rug because other things were more important...like getting kids to school. I knew I needed support. Just to DO it! So I registered again for another meditation class, and this time, I went every single week. We meditated for about 30 minutes every time in silence. I always closed my eyes and sat with my classmates in the circle, holding quite still. I rarely meditated in between classes, but oh, that time in silence during class was peaceful, sometimes full of thinking, curious and frustrating all at once. After the class was over, can you guess how often I meditated? Yah, you got it. Never. A friend of mine at a party said she was going on a silent meditation retreat. We had our young children, playing in the grass around our feet. I felt envious. Dang...I still want to meditate! I signed up for a different class, and then a retreat with the same teacher where we meditated a whole lot, for two-hour silent sessions several times a day for five days. After that, for quite some time I meditated an hour a day by myself at home, every morning. I didnt question it, or get distracted, or decide it wasnt important. I never missed my morning sitting. Its funny how something interesting and desired can be hard to practice if its new. Like a new habit, one day it becomes vital to you. Instead of just thinking about doing it, you do it. Then you get to see how it really works for YOU. Youre not doing it because you should, or other people think you should, or its the right thing to do. Youre doing it because you love doing it, it fits who you are. This same thing happened to me with doing The Work of Byron Katie. At the beginning, after reading Loving What Is....I got up and walked away from my couch after five minutes of trying to answer the questions in a notebook. There was laundry to do! I dont have time for this! Then I went to one evening lecture by Byron Katie in my home town. Then I signed up for a weekend workshop with Katie. Even though I loved reading Loving What Is and doing The Work in those sessions with Katie, I never seemed to sit down and do it on my own at home. I finally went to The School for The Work...there wasnt anyone else offering classes in The Work that I knew of in my city, or practice sessions in The Work (this was almost ten years ago). The School lasts 9 days, and you do The Work every single day, all day long, with various exercises to help identify your thoughts and investigate your stressful beliefs. Finally, by doing The Work, I really got the power of The Work. And guess what happened after I went to The School? Id find myself upset, sad, frightened and remember to do The Work.....but not always take the full amount of time out to complete it. The only way I kept going with it, steadily, was to find partners who would facilitate me and I would facilitate them. We made appointments. I had one wonderful partner for two years, every single Monday, and we did The Work for nearly two hours every time we traded facilitations. The Work, just like meditation (it is actually a form of meditation on the mind and what its doing) is not so easy to begin to do as a practice, if youre busy living a full life like so many people are. You may need to get the hang of it before it sticks. You may need to schedule it in as a top priority, right into your calendar, so you make the time to do it. Thats what Summer Camp for The Mind is for. Its an easy way to begin putting The Work into your schedule, for a fraction of the cost of a full course or individual sessions. Its a way to pick a time, just two days per month are necessary (but more are available for no extra charge if you want them). You call in at the appointed time, for 90 minutes, and the group does The Work. Ill facilitate you. You dont have to do it right or know anything fancy. Experienced people and beginners will all be there, everyone is welcome. Youll pick a situation youve found uncomfortable, or terrifying, and write a Judge Your Neighbor worksheet on it (youll learn separately all about how to fill this out if you dont know already) and then well practice The Work. Like meditation, all you need is willingness, an eagerness to understand yourself, and an open mind. If I could do this, anyone can. You can too. You can question your mind and change your world. June Summer Camp starts in two days. Youll join an online forum immediately (Ill set you up in a googlegroup) and then live calls will begin on Monday. You pick your favorite call-in group: (Monday 4 pm, Tuesday 8 am, or Thursday 9:30 am). Each group is limited to 20 people maximum live participants. But you can listen to all the groups, all three days, at any time if you are enrolled in Summer Camp. You only pay $97 for one whole month. The savings to facilitated inquiry in this unique Summer Camp format is extensive. Normal classes are $395 for two months, and the equivalent fee for solo sessions would be far more. If youre ready to give The Work more time in your life in a light, easy way through the summer (like camp!) then Join Me. Lets do this together. I cant wait to meet you. To sign up now for June, click the link below. Do The Work for breakfast. ~ Byron Katie Much love, Grace workwithgrace/summer-camp-for-the-mind/
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 13:00:00 +0000
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