July 3, 2024

Presented by Pamela Patrick:

Pamela has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 20 years. Her approach to the practice of meditation incorporates Present Moment Awareness & Kindness towards Self.

Mindfulness Defined:

Mindfulness is a mental state that can be achieved by bringing awareness to the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations without judgment or interpretation.

As we develop our meditation practice, we begin to notice an increased ability to be present and focused, whatever we are doing. We begin to know, see and feel whatever is happening, for what it is — without judging. “It is what it is!”

How can the practice of regular meditation support our overall Well-being?

• Cultivation of clarity and peace in present moment awareness.
• Cultivation of concentration.
• Cultivation of mindfulness — bringing mind and body together in the present moment.

As caregivers we are called upon to tend to the needs of our loved one. This in itself requires a tremendous degree of planning, presence, attention to detail, physical, nutritional and emotional support. Unless we care for ourselves, maintaining our own well-being, it will be difficult or impossible to care for another.  

All of this requires eating well, getting fresh air and exercise, interacting with good friends and setting time aside to be still — Meditation! To quiet or slow down the busy mind and all the to-do’s.

Tips for Creating a Regular Meditation Practice:

Choosing a Time and Place: Choose a quiet, private place (let others know, get their support). If you are just beginning, start with 10 or 15 minutes of meditation.

Establishing an Attitude and Intention: One of loving kindness toward self and others.  

Postures: To support body comfort and mind alertness. You may choose a cushion on the floor, or chair, or if you cannot sit, you can recline on a bed or sofa.

Find a single focus object of meditation:  

• “THE BREATH”
• Why the breath? — it’s always present
• It’s easy to feel (in your chest, your nose, your belly)

Use mental notation:  

Using one word — in your mind to acknowledge your present moment awareness. While breathing: mentally note “in” when you feel the breath coming in. Mentally note “out” when you feel the breath going out.

• Note, one word — in your mind — “thinking” when you notice you are thinking.
• Note, one word — in your mind — “sadness” or “feeling” when you notice you are feeling an emotion.
• Note, one word — in your mind — “pain” when you notice you are feeling pain.
• Notate or notice with one word. Then come back to noticing, feeling your breath.

What is not meditation:

a. not a religion.

b. not a time to “zone out”.

c. not a time to test or critique yourself. 

Does it get easy? 

• With regular time and regular meditation, the practice grows. 
• You may begin to notice that your focus and concentration become stronger.
• It’s all about practice! Practicing on your own or in a group.

Listen to the guided meditation on the recording of this webinar — (go to timestamp 37:08 where that starts, until 51:38)

Also — Here’s a wonderful guided meditation Pamela recommends on YouTube:  

• Loving Awareness Meditation: Jack Kornfield

Here are some books Pamela Recommends

• How to Meditate: A practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind by Pema Chodron 
• Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle 
• The Art of Forgiveness, Loving-kindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield

Last, but not least…

The poem Pamela shared with us: “In the World” By Brigid Lowry

in the strange early morning half light we sit

in the cloudiness of our questioning, we sit

in our madness and our clarity we sit

in the midst of too much to do we sit

in the warm arms of our shared sorrow we sit

in community and loneliness we sit

in sweet exhaustion we sit

in the blazing energy of being alive we sit

here with the singing crickets

here with each electric birdsong

here with the rippling of breezes and the dry grasses

here with the cobwebs and the clouds

and the dusty road upon us

us in the sound and the sound in us

us in the world and the world in us.

Thank you!

– Susan Musicant, DPT

Injury Prevention Coordinator at DayBreak

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