This Monday March 11, we will meet in person.
Go to calendar for our schedule
Address for OHMC meditation space:
3812 Northampton St. NW, Washington DC 20015
Please arrive a few minutes early so we can invite the bell on time. You may also arrive 15 minutes early to practice working meditation by helping us set up cushions.
Dear friends,
This week: we will meet Monday from 7-8:30PM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW), Wednesday morning from 7-8AM EST online, and Friday 12-1PM EST online.
This Monday evening Annie was scheduled to facilitate. However, there’s been a change in schedule and Camille will facilitate.
Annie’s original topic below:
Even in the best of times, it can be challenging to get out of bed and remember to practice mindfulness. But when I remember to start my day with some mental reminders, such as a few mindful breaths or steps, my whole day leans more toward ease and joy. Practicing mindfulness in the morning doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our favorite coffee drink or I can’t enjoy my new favorite Oolong tea. And it doesn’t mean we have to be all perky and bubbly. (I surely am not.)
Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) offers a wonderful morning verse that we can post near our bed or memorize to say as we are waking up. I recite this every morning, and especially on mornings when my first thought is “Ugh” and/or when upsetting thoughts or memories arise.
Reciting a gatha is one concrete way to start our day with awareness. This week, I invite you to reflect on the way that you usually wake up and how you weave awareness into your morning. On Monday evening we can share what works well for us–and not so well–and how our morning actions can support a day filled with more mindfulness, compassion, and joy.
Below is an excerpt from Thay’s book Happiness on “Waking Up”:
We can start our day with the happiness of a smile and the aspiration to dedicate ourselves to the path of love and understanding. We are aware that today is a fresh, new day, and we have twenty-four precious hours to live.
. . .
As you wake up in the morning and open your eyes, you may like to recite this short mindfulness verse, called a “gatha”:
Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty-four brand-new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.
The last line of this gatha comes from the Lotus Sutra. The one who looks at all beings with eyes of compassion is Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva who listens deeply to the cries of the world. In the sutra, this line reads: "Eyes of loving kindness look on all living beings." Love is impossible without understanding. In order to understand others, we must know them and be inside their skin. Then we can treat them with loving kindness. The source of love is our fully awakened mind.
After you wake up, you probably open the curtains and look outside. You may even like to open the window and feel the cool morning air with the dew still on the grass. When you open the window and look out, see that life is infinitely marvelous. At that very moment, you can vow to be awake all day long, realizing joy, peace, freedom, and harmony. When you do this, your mind becomes clear like a calm river.
Try to get up from bed right away after enjoying three deep breaths to bring yourself into mindfulness. Don't delay waking. You may like to sit up and gently massage your head, neck, shoulders, and arms to get your blood circulating. You might like to do a few stretches to loosen your joints and wake up your body. Drinking a cup of warm water is also good for our system first thing in the morning.
Wash yourself or do what you need to before heading to work or school or to the meditation hall. Allow enough time so you don't have to rush. If it's still early, enjoy the dark morning sky. Many stars are twinkling and greeting us. Take deep breaths and enjoy the cool, fresh air. As you walk slowly to the car, to school, to work, or to the meditation hall, let the morning fill your being, awakening your body and mind to the joy of a new day.
What better way to start the day than with a smile? Your smile affirms your awareness and determination to live in peace and joy. How many days slip by in forgetfulness? What are you doing with your life? Look deeply, and smile. The source of a true smile is an awakened mind.
How can you remember to smile when you wake up? You might hang a reminder–such as a branch, a leaf, a painting, or some inspiring words–in your window or from the ceiling above your bed. Once you develop the practice of smiling, you may not need a sign. You will smile as soon as you hear a bird sing or see the sunlight stream through the window, and this will help you approach the day with more gentleness and understanding.
with love,
annie