Being a friend…..to yourself
Last Saturday a group of us came together at Well for Life to listen to and practice with Jack Kornfield, Western Buddhist meditation teacher and author of books like ‘The Wise Heart’ and ‘A Path with Heart’ and . Technology made it possible to be part of a retreat day held at Spirit Rock, California and to me it really felt like I was there. And what a nourishing, pleasurable day it was; at the end of the day comments were made about how hard it is to ‘give up’ a whole Saturday yet how essential to our wellbeing it is to take the time for pausing, being and getting nourishment from teachings so relevant to our time. Transformed by a day of such nourishment we can stand more easily in the midst of a busy life holding with clarity and resourcefulness the many demands calling for our attention.
Words that might describe friendship: feeling warmth and care, taking time together, freedom to be, being patient, forgiving,
What if…what if we could offer these qualities of friendship to ourselves, what if we committed to be with ourselves in the same way a good friend would be with us? What if we could trust ourselves just like a good friend trusts us? What if we could meet our way of being with unfailing kindness, whether we like it or not. This, of course, is not the kind of narcissistic self-focus that is born out of a sense of unworthiness and fear. No, it is a journey to truly knowing and making friends with ourselves, warts and all, so to speak.
In our upcoming weekend workshop “Mindfulness and Self-Compassion’ (we have a couple of spots available if you want to join) Subhana and I will be offering a tender step-by-step process for truly making friends with yourself. Mindfulness teaches us how to rest simply in our being and be open to whatever arises in our minds and hearts. Compassion teaches us how to meet what arises with kindness and care. Put together these two practices open us to a deeper way of knowing, of comfort, of trust and ease. Ah, breathing in, breathing out.
In preparation to the Mindfulness and Compassion Workshop I have been contemplating the meaning of friendship: what are the qualities of a friendship that allows it to stay strong over the course of time? You will have your own thoughts about this; maybe these images capture it for you?
Words that might describe friendship: feeling warmth and care, taking time together, freedom to be, being patient, forgiving,
What if…what if we could offer these qualities of friendship to ourselves, what if we committed to be with ourselves in the same way a good friend would be with us? What if we could trust ourselves just like a good friend trusts us?What if we could meet our way of being with unfailing kindness, whether we like it or not. This, of course, is not the kind of narcissistic self-focus that is born out of a sense of unworthiness and fear. No, it is a journey to truly knowing and making friends with ourselves, warts and all, so to speak.
In our upcoming weekend workshop “Mindfulness and Self-Compassion’ (we have a couple of spots available if you want to join) Subhana and I will be offering a tender step-by-step process for truly making friends with yourself. Mindfulness teaches us how to rest simply in our being and be open to whatever arises in our minds and hearts. Compassion teaches us how to meet what arises with kindness and care. Put together these two practices open us to a deeper way of knowing, of comfort, of trust and ease. Ah, breathing in, breathing out.