Greetings everyone,

A simple update for meetings during the winter season. 

Thursday meetings are officially moved indoors until Spring (March).  We currently meet every Thursday at 6pm in Lakeview at the Community Church Unitarian Universalist, 6690 Fleur De Lis Dr, New Orleans, LA.

Friday meetings are outdoors weather permitting.  If the temperature is too low and/or there is rain, we will meet indoors at the Love 2 Life Center located in Broadmoor, at 2021 S. Dupre St, New Orleans, LA, next to the Broadmoor Community Church.

Sunday meetings are outdoors, weather permitting.  In the case of inclement weather, the meeting will be cancelled.

Tonight's meditation was in the theme of the Fall Equinox which represents a time for Harvesting.  Equinoxes are a time when the hours of the day and night are equal due to the position of the sun and the Earth's equator. 

​The death of the previous Winter, the re-birth of the Spring, and the planting of the Summer is behind us and now is the time to move forward with the harvest and reap.  To embrace the energy and flow of Fall we utilized the breath to assist in allowing us to let go of previous events and move forward into the field of opportunity/new beginnings.  We were guided through "The Gateway to a New Beginning" by Toby Ouvry.   Below are the key points to the meditation.  You are welcome to view the full article and explanation here.  Gateway to a new beginning | Toby Ouvry Meditation

It Is recommended to repeat the meditation.

"The gateway to a new beginning
A beginner’s body-mind is a way of entering the present moment and whatever greets us there as if for the first time, a bit like a young child. It is curious, open, flexible.

After today's Talking Circle and sharing we were blessed with a live performance from one of the group members.  Her artist name is Falori-i.  We're grateful to have many talented members in the community able to share their gifts.

he meditation for Sunday 8/7 was inspired by the Yoga Sutras 1.34 – 1.39.  Every first Thursday of the month, from 7:35pm – 9pm, a talk on the Yoga Sutras is held at the Sama Studio in Arabi.  They have a group discussion along with food and tea.  A few of us went, after the Thursday meditation in City Park of course, lol, held every Thursday at 6pm.

As shared at the Sama meeting, this section of the Sutras focuses on steps to have a Serene Mind, leading to a Stable Mind, leading to a Mind that can Concentrate, leading to prolonged Concentration, leading to Samadhi.  Samadhi is interpreted in several ways in different traditions.  Here are a few translations:  a state of pure consciousness, a state of meditative consciousness, a state of union with the Divine, a state of pure concentration or single-pointedness of the mind.

As stated during the intro of each meeting we utilize a variety of meditative techniques from different traditions.  Today's theme was partially centered on "Management".  To facilitate this intention we incorporated the use of sound and tones to harmonize different body parts and muscles.  Here's a full list of the sounds and associated body parts that can be implemented at home or in a group setting.  In today's meditation we covered a portion of the list.

Mmm    ~ sinuses
Nnn   ~ ears
Eemm   ~ eyes
Lmm    ~ nose
Paam    ~ stomach
Kaa Gaa Gha   ~ throat

One of the most simplest and potent ways to experience meditation is through the breath.  During the gatherings we explore a variety of breathing techniques which offer many  benefits.  One key is simplicity.  Here are 6 simply breathing techniques originally shared by Toby Ouvry.  We use these at various times during the group meditation meetings and they are simple enough to implement in everyday life.

"Meditating like a baby – Six breathing meditations
Breathing meditation is something that, if you do it well can provide you with a wealth of benefits. In particular, if you use it for your longer meditations it can help you connect relatively easily to states of body, heart and mind that are both blissful and insightful. Here are six types of breathing meditation that you can use and enjoy:
Natural breathing – Give your body permission to breathe in the way that it needs to breathe in order to move towards balance and harmony. Then just keep your attention on the breathing as your body intelligence does what it needs to do to re-balance by using different breathing patterns.
Belly breathing – Breathe slightly deeper than you would usually, and send the air down into the bottom of your lungs as you begin your inhalation. If you do this you will notice your belly moving outward 2-3cms as you inhale, and back to resting position as you exhale. Focus on this belly movement as you breathe.

In today's gathering we discussed multiple topics but some of the highlights were the process of trying to plan vs allowing and letting things flow.  The way it unfolded was in a manner of "unexpected surprises".  There may be plans with a particular goal or focus or intention, but the route or timing to get there may be different than anticipated.  What ways are there to manage experiencing unexpected surprises?  Are there any unique or specific quotes that resonate and assist navigating the experience?  Are expectations useful at all?  

One exercising we did was personal storytelling.  Each person in the circle shared there first job/work experience.  Perhaps have a moment or two to reflect on your first job/work experience.  What feelings come up?  Are there any benefits or things learned that are with you today?  Was it fun?  What purpose did it serve if any?