Introduction to Meditation

tools for ayahuasca ceremonies

Each day during the retreat we will offer periods of meditation practice and teachings guided by one of our experienced facilitators. The schedule will also include regular periods of mindful movement and yoga as we find this is a helpful compliment to the sitting meditation practice. The sessions of meditation and yoga practice are suitable to all levels of yoga experience and physical ability. The emphasis is on sensing, nourishing, and fully inhabiting the body.

All the classes are designed to help you open and relax so that you can attune your body and nervous system. The classes will also provide you with valuable tools and guidance that you can call upon during your Ayahuasca ceremonies.

The ancient invitation of the Buddha was to, "Come and see" for yourself the truth of the way things are, a rousing invitation to fearless and sustained self-inquiry.

Introduction To Meditation

The ground, the path and the goal of meditation is to awaken the heart and achieve complete freedom. This freedom is our birthright and is available for every human being. We all want inner peace and that can only be found by searching inside oneself. Twenty five hundred years ago the Buddha discovered the answer to the universal problem of suffering by experiencing a profound insight into the true nature of reality. He wasn’t the only teacher to make this discovery.

Throughout history there have been countless others from diverse spiritual traditions who have realized the same truths. His discovery was that through the practice of meditation one could transform their entire relationship to life and discover lasting happiness. As he began to share this understanding with others, he became known as the "Buddha," which means awakened one.

Simply put meditation is the practice of learning how to live in the present moment. Something transformative happens to our minds the more we live in the “NOWNESS” of life. There is a great power in the present moment and it takes time to develop our practice before we can fully appreciate this.

Many of us spend countless hours of every day distracted and daydreaming, completely unconscious and with little awareness of what we are doing. This can become a bad habit because many times our daydreams are repetitive nightmares that are played over and over in a continuous cycle. We can often feel overwhelmed and distracted by minds that are out of control. We are constantly responding to these stressful thoughts and stories and this intern creates a huge amount of pain and confusion. We have become so lost in our minds that we don’t actually know how to just, “BE” anymore. Most of don’t know what it’s like to live in the present moment to actually experience the here and NOW. Meditation practice provides us with an antidote to this.

Through periods of mediation practice, step-by-step we begin to learn how to train the mind and focus our attention. The ability to focus and concentrate is something that can be developed over time and each of us has the capacity to grow in this area.

During the meditation sessions held throughout our retreats, we train ourselves by noticing when we get lost in the past or the future, and by bringing the attention back to the present moment over and over. When we are awake in the moment what that means is that we aren’t lost in our repetitive thoughts and stories. When we are awake we usually feel the joy of presence. When one thought ends right before the next thought begins we discover the tiny gap or window called NOW. Over time we learn to expand this gap and live in it. By practicing in this way we begin to access the great peace that was there all along. The more we are present, focused and paying attention, the more we make ourselves available to not only joy but the universal wisdom that surrounds us.