The secret self knows the anguish of our attachments...

and assures us that letting go of what we think we must have to be happy is the same as letting go of our unhappiness...says American self-help writer, philosopher, and spiritual teacher, Guy Finley.

I can actually hear your mind working..."Blah, blah, blah...here she goes again. Another one of her up her own bottom posts. Sometimes thinking too much just ain't a good idea." (Or you might say "just isn't a good idea" if you adhere to The Queen's English.)

leannananabz

Yes, when attached to a hot air balloon with your hair on fire, letting go is a Good Idea.

So - my week: Monday nights - Creating Happiness seminar - Landmark Education. Tuesday nights - meditation in the New Kadampa Buddhist tradition, Wednesday nights - yoga in the Pranava tradition. Not surprising I'm up my own bottom, and at least now, with all the stretching, I can reach.

 I think these guys have all been talking to each other because at the moment we're exploring the same thing from three different angles - pragmatic, spiritual and physical, I suppose you could say.


Mindfulness. Being with whatever emotions flit or stagger in an ungainly fashion through our minds. Letting go of attachments.

How sorted will I be, after all this?

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

I like that, Thich Nhat Hanh

Last night, Peter and I went to our first meditation session, run by a Buddhist of the New Kadampa Tradition.

Okay, so Uckfield Civic Centre is not QUITE so idyllic...

I didn't really know what to expect. Would we be lying down? Would we be expected to sit in lotus position for 90 minutes? No - we sat on chairs. For me, even sitting in a chair for 90 minutes was quite a challenge.

I sat a long way from Peter because he does BREATHE so...

I have to report that the session was very good.

Some of it was very good AFTERWARDS. In the second meditation - breathing in white light and breathing out black smoke - not LITERALLY or we'd have set off all The Uckfield Civic Centre smoke alarms - I got the most AWFUL crashing headache.

 In discussion, later, I learned that this was quite to be expected and was to do with the negativity in my mind being expelled. Or it could be that I was sitting in a draught...

Rather spookily, as soon as I came out of the meditation, my head cleared as if by magic and felt...well, cleansed and pure.

And Peter slept right through the night for the first time in forever.

SO...

We didn't take much convincing really.