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The Essential Guidebook to Mindfulness in Recovery: The Essence of Mindfulness

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John Bruna

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“The simplest form of meditation requires two things: a body that is still and relaxed, and an object to focus attention on. Many traditional postures for meditation exist. I have found the greatest ease and stability sitting in a chair, with the spine erect and the palms of the hands resting on the knees. The focus of attention that I have found most useful for the beginners is the awareness of breathing combined with a mental focus: „I“ as a feeling in the heart with each inhalation and „am“ as a sensation of the whole physical presence on the exhalation. It should be understood that this is not the „I“ of the ego as we commonly know it, but an I-ness rooted in the heart, an „I-ness-without I.“ (p. 56)”

MeditationMindfulnessContemplative Life
Book:Living Presence: A Sufi Way to Mindfulness & the Essential Self
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“Contemplation cultivates an inner connection, an awareness of yourself. I don’t mean your emotional self; I mean the part of you hidden beneath your emotional baggage—your soul’s consciousness.”

ContemplationLife Lessons QuotesSpiritual WisdomMeditation QuotesEmotional Intelligence QuotesSelf Determination QuotesJournalingContemplative LifeSelf Reflection QuotesAwareness Quote
Book:Spirituality, Evolution and Awakened Consciousness: Getting Real About Soul Maturity and Spiritual Growth
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“. . . the most perfect apologia I ever heard for the cloistered contemplative life. It is contained in two brief sentences. They come from the life of my late Abbott, Dom Mary Frederic Dunne. He would as any antagonist of the contemplative life two short questions. They admitted of only one very brief answer. He would look kindly at the objectioner and ask softly: "You believe in the efficiency of prayer, don't you?" When the person made the only possible reply - an affirmative one - Dom Frederic would smile and even more quietly ask: "Then what is wrong with a whole life of prayer?”

PrayerCatholicCatholicismContemplative Life
Book:The Silent Spire Speaks
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“As I walked, I became aware of the strong odor of peonies and jasmine. I inhaled deeply to draw in the lovely bouquet. The scent was from the fresh flowers of a lush garden. The path opened into a courtyard, a tangle of peonies and jasmine framing the entrance, blooming in spectacular fashion. Silky petals brushed against my skin. The tension building in my neck and shoulders melted away as I entered a fairyland. The rustle of the night breeze joined the familiar voice of Teresa Teng echoing from invisible speakers. Beneath my feet, a path of moss-covered stones led to a circular platform surrounded by a large, shallow pond. The night garden was bursting with a palette of muted greens, starlit ivories, and sparkling golds: the verdant lichen and waxy lily pads in the pond, the snowy white peonies and jasmine flowers, and the metallic tones of the fireflies suspended in the air, the square-holed coins lining the floor of the pond, and the special golden three-legged creatures resting on the floating fronds. I knew these creatures from my childhood. The feng shui symbol of prosperity, Jin Chan was transformed into a golden toad for stealing the peaches of immortality. Jin Chan's three legs represented heave, earth, and humanity. Statues of him graced every Chinese home I had ever been in, for fortune was a visitor always in demand. Ma-ma had placed one near the stairs leading to the front door. The pond before me held eight fabled toads, each biting on a coin. If not for the subtle rise and fall of their vocal sacs, I would have thought them statues.”

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Book:Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune
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