{"id":7690,"date":"2020-04-10T12:01:22","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T19:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/?p=7690"},"modified":"2020-04-10T13:30:50","modified_gmt":"2020-04-10T20:30:50","slug":"occupying-the-space-between-stimulus-and-reaction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/2020\/04\/10\/occupying-the-space-between-stimulus-and-reaction\/","title":{"rendered":"Occupying the Space Between Stimulus and Reaction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>So, the challenge is <em>on<\/em>: a full &#8220;sit,&#8221; guided by <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jamesmaskalyk.com\/\">Dr. James Maskalyk<\/a><\/strong>.&nbsp; This is open to family members, too! (Not required!)<\/p>\n<p>Set aside about 45 minutes.&nbsp; Have your comp book handy.&nbsp; Read this whole post before beginning.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve cued up the video to begin just before the guided meditation starts; you are more than welcome to dial it back to the beginning and listen to a report on life in the ER and in Toronto from about two weeks back, if you want the full ride, but that is optional.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"COVID diaries - March 24, 2020\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hjSnO-hQd6M?start=1451&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Steps:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1.&nbsp; Find a place where you will be uninterrupted for about 45 minutes &#8211; let your family know you&#8217;ll need time and space.<\/p>\n<p>2.&nbsp; Establish a comfortable sitting position &#8211; something upright and alert, but also something you can maintain for an extended period of time.&nbsp; This could be lotus position (if you are bendy and used to sitting that way) or crossed-legged, or in a comfy chair (we&#8217;re not jealous at all, Ancie and The REAL Maya, really we&#8217;re not) (okay, we&#8217;re totally jealous), or seated upright on a sofa with your legs stretched out in front of you. Make sure you have something soft under your butt, but not so soft that your posture collapses &#8211; think rug, yoga mat, a towel folded in half, etc.<\/p>\n<p>3.&nbsp; Have your comp book and a pencil or pen beside you.<\/p>\n<p>4.&nbsp; If you are doing this alone, you may want to use headphones.<\/p>\n<p>5.&nbsp; Press &#8220;Play&#8221; on the above video and listen to the introductory ideas (don&#8217;t get hypnotized by the groovy t-shirt!).<\/p>\n<p>6.&nbsp; There are four bells during the sit &#8211; one to start, one at the halfway mark, one three minutes before the end, and one at the end.&nbsp; Use those bells like we use the chime in class before reading or writing: open up your hearing and listen all the way to the end of the tone.&nbsp; When the first bell starts, close your eyes and do your best to keep your eyes closed for the duration of the sit.<\/p>\n<p>7.&nbsp; &#8220;All&#8221; you have to do is focus on your breathing, and follow the instructions from Dr. Maskalyk.&nbsp; When distracting thoughts come up, acknowledge them, and then let them drift away.&nbsp; <em>Watch<\/em> your thoughts passively rather than analyze them.&nbsp; Try to avoid &#8220;should&#8221; thinking.&nbsp; Allow what happens to happen.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>8.&nbsp; If you lose focus or get caught up in your thoughts, forgive yourself, and then go back to breathing in through your nose, noticing the sensation of the air entering your nostrils and the feeling of expansion in your chest and\/or belly, and then the release of the breath and the feeling of emptiness.<\/p>\n<p>9.&nbsp; If you are struck by inspiration during the sit, make a quick note in your comp book and then close your eyes again and go back to focusing on your breath.<\/p>\n<p>10.&nbsp; There are many periods of extended silence during the video &#8211; just keep breathing.<\/p>\n<p>11.&nbsp; For some of you, this time will pass in the blink of an eye; for others, it will feel like an eternity.&nbsp; Both responses &#8211; and anything in between &#8211; are totally natural and acceptable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When you are done:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>make notes in your comp book about what stood out for you in the experience &#8211; things Dr. Maskalyk said, images that drifted into your mind, what your body felt like, your emotional response, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Post at least one comment using &#8220;Leave a Reply&#8221; below, using your class name.&nbsp; Feel free to build on others&#8217; comments.&nbsp; Possible ideas:<br \/>\n&#8211; what were the positive aspects of this experience?<br \/>\n&#8211; many cultures and traditions have some form of meditation practice at their core, going back millennia in time &#8211; why do you think this is so?<br \/>\n&#8211; how might this mindfulness practice be useful to you in your life?&nbsp; What aspects of it might be helpful for&nbsp;<em>you<\/em>?&nbsp; When might you use it?<br \/>\n&#8211; connections to Wagamese and\/or our work in mindset?<br \/>\n&#8211; what images floated through your mind during the sit?<br \/>\n&#8211; how did you feel afterward?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Please complete this by Monday evening, including posting your comment(s), and bring your ideas to share in our Class Meeting Tuesday!<\/p>\n<p>(PS: I believe most people engage with Dr. Maskalyk&#8217;s guided meditations through facebook, but there are a few more uploaded on YouTube that you can explore if you like!)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So, the challenge is on: a full &#8220;sit,&#8221; guided by Dr. James Maskalyk.&nbsp; This is open to family members, too! (Not required!) Set aside about 45 minutes.&nbsp; Have your comp book handy.&nbsp; Read this whole post before beginning.&nbsp;&nbsp; I&#8217;ve cued &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/2020\/04\/10\/occupying-the-space-between-stimulus-and-reaction\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6195,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7690"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7695,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7690\/revisions\/7695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}