"never leave home without Betty & Pansy"!

I have returned from the world of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, of mobile phones and conferences for web developers, of twelve-hour work days and seven consecutive days without time off. In other words, I have returned from a life without practice. And I missed it. Practice, that is.

Time: 3:24pm
What: 25 minutes asana / 20 minutes seated practice
Focus: Second Foundation / Exercises 5 - 8 (Ana-)

Body was stiff and craving movement (that did not include sitting in a chair or typing at a computer). Relished in the discomfort and pleasure alike. Exploring the full range of motion of the body, the sensations, the breath.

Sitting practice was... thick. As though three days worth of conversations, thoughts and experiences needed to be sifted through. Mucky, muddy, thick with thinking. Paying attention to not only the sensations of breathing, sitting, being. But noticing the feeling tone...

...vedana (as feelings) refers to both the bare physical sensation (as when your tongue makes contact with good chocolate) AND the feeling-tone of pleasure that arises. It is paying attention to the feeling tone (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral) that is the essence of second foundation practice because it is this feeling-tone that leads to reactivity (clinging, aversion, boredom/confusion) when mindfulness is not present... (Frank Jude Boccio)

Felt as though awareness of the feeling tone was evasive or foggy. Needs practice. Instead, mind jumped to superimpose an idea of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Felt more like judging than noticing the natural tone that arises towards sensory experience. Will investigate further and get back to you about it...

In the meantime, I'm glad to be "back".

Going to start micro-practices, bell of mindfulness, schedule a half day of mindfulness and start the two-week exploration of the fifth mindfulness training. All coming up next on "never leave home without Betty & Pansy" (ah ha ha). Oh, and I turn 29 this week. Does that make me old?