Prioritizing Nurturing

The longer I practice mindfulness meditation, the more clearly I see how thoroughly conditioned my mind-body is. When we look at any other human being, we can all honestly say "I am that." We're all deeply conditioned - perfectly human in our many imperfections, doing our best to get by and eek out a bit of happiness along the way.

Perhaps sincere, kind self-acceptance and acceptance of others, just the way we all are, is possible. Perfecting ourselves and perfecting others, certainly is not. Of course we can all do better, but if we prioritize creating a nurturing holding environment, our journey will be much more pleasant and perhaps more successful.

“Relaxation (ease) helps set the stage, and playfulness (delight) mitigates the intensity that most of us bring to meditation. Accessing a sense of gratitude and wonder (spacious and tenderhearted qualities) further deepens the nurturing qualities of the holding environment for meditation.”

Bill Morgan. "The Meditator's Dilemma: An Innovative Approach to Overcoming Obstacles and Revitalizing Your Practice." Shambhala, 2016.

“When I find myself full of fear or desire, I remember that I am dealing with a brain and nervous system that has been hard-wired for millions of years for these emotions. Then I apply one of my favorite mantras, ‘I’m perfectly human.’ When I sit in meditation as a human being rather than as an individual, I feel I am part of a collective effort on the part of our species to right itself, to find a new sanity. As Robert Thurman says of meditation, ‘It’s evolutionary sport.’ In the light of that big perspective, I thank you for being on my team.” Wes Nisker