In today's Sunday practice, we explore a question submitted by a participant in our group, regarding gaining traction on releasing negative self talk. From a meditator's perspective, we are not trying to fix or change anything while practicing, but observe what is, developing the skills of focus, attention and equanimity. Often we adult humans would prefer to distract ourselves from our painful thoughts and feelings with media, substances, work, or other unbalanced methods, as a coping mechanism. For meditators, the coping mechanism is the development of equanimity - we learn to sit and face our darkest thoughts or emotions without recoiling and judging ourselves harshly. This doesn't mean we can't make a course correction using meditation as a tool. In fact, the clarity and ease we build with ourselves is instrumental in making intelligent, healthy, lasting change. In this practice we pick up the breath mantra we've been working with all year long - inhaling our true strength and stability, and exhaling that which doesn't serve. To join our class, please email [email protected] or visit www.CalgaryMindfulness.ca

In today's practice, we notice and explore the pleasurable sensations we get from regular meditation practice. Far from being a waste of time, this is an important acknowledgement of the payoff we get from contribution our sincere heart, time and energy to this physical and mental discipline. Even infrequent meditators feel a slowing down, a feeling of being very present in one's body, the relief and gratitude of noticing things we normally don't give ourselves permission or time to observe and enjoy, since we're usually busy rushing from A to B. There are many other benefits, and one of the key benefits is developing the equanimity, capacity, focus and ability to sit with our painful thoughts and emotions as humans. To join our practice, please email Calgary Mindfulness at Gmail.com . Please feel free to submit your questions to guide our subsequent practice.

Painful thoughts and emotions are a fact of life. Attempting to avoid or stifle these is impossible. Sometimes people want to use meditation to shut off painful thoughts and feelings. It works differently however; one of the side effects of meditation is increased ability to sit with our painful emotions and feelings, resulting in greater compassion for ourselves and others involved in our situation, clarity and a chance to respond reflectively instead of reactively. For a video link, please click here: https://youtu.be/tgfeWwtaL_s

To join our weekly sit, please email me at [email protected]

In today's practice, we explore a member's question in our zoom chat about how hard it is to focus away from "the negative"; we unpack the physiological and cognitive behaviour correction aspects of our choices, and explore how meditation can assist with this process. To join our weekly practice, please visit www.CalgaryMindfulness.ca or write Calgary Mindfulness at Gmail.com. Thanks!

In this episode, we explore a member's question regarding why it's hard to focus during practice, since thoughts of all that s/he needs to do and be first before becoming compassionate with the self...today we explore the practice of how to start feeling we are worthy of giving and receiving unconditional love.

To join our practice live, please write Calgary Mindfulness at Gmail.com. Thanks!

In today's Sunday practice, we explore the theme of spring, and its promise for renewal in our lives and thought process. Like the world around us, we are never stuck, and in meditation practice we can reconnect to the movement, flow, openness to help us move out of feeling stuck. To join our practice live, please email Calgary Mindfulness at Gmail dot com and visit CalgaryMindfulness.ca.

In today's Sunday practice--thanks to those who attended our practice live despite the spring forward time change--we explore the opportunity to lay intentions for delivering our highest and best to ourselves and others. After a traditional mindfulness meditation where we care for tense parts of the body, we explore any intentions that arise and commit to honoring those for the week. To join our practice live, please visit www.CalgaryMindfulness.Ca and write Calgary Mindfulness at Gmail Dot Com. Thanks! Rosanna

Welcome to our weekly 15 minute mindfulness meditation! Today we continue our exploration of the very fruitful meditation anchor of loving kindness. Noticing today that as we freely offer loving kindness to all those within our circle (family, friends, colleagues, strangers with whom we intersect) we are enabled to grow our own patience, clarity, ease, wisdom and freedom from worry, shame, judgement, fear of being unworthy and unlovable, etc. To receive, first we give!

To join our weekly practice, please email calgary mindfulness at gmail dot com, or visit calgary mindfulness dot ca. All weekly practices are posted as video and podcast for your convenience so that you can stream and practice at any time convenient for you.

Welcome back! In today's meditation, we explore loving kindness as a conflict management opportunity, visualizing someone / people with whom there is a troubled relationship and freely offering them our loving kindness. To join our practice live, please write calgary mindfulness at gmail.com. You can also get this podcast at your favorite podcast host.

In today's practice we attend to a request from a prayer circle to which I belong regarding an intention to transform humanity's impulse to envy and revenge into love, acceptance, forgiveness and trust. Beginning with mindfulness basic anchors to create the space for allowing these difficult thoughts and emotions to arise. For spiritual seekers, admitting and exploring our own dark thoughts that seem so negative and selfish is extra hard, but extra important given that all which is unexplored and unaccepted has subconscious impact on our thoughts, decisions, actions and community. Dive in deep and leave no stone unturned!

• For a video of today's weekly practice, please watch here at Youtube - https://youtu.be/_W1bqoDe30E.

• To join our weekly practice, please write calgary mindfulness @ gmail dot com.
• Please visit the website CalgaryMindfulness.ca for many resources to assist with meditation training.