Beginning with the body as a home base for attention, we explore an easeful, gentle way of returning to bodily sensations and the breath. Sitting and walking practice support steadiness of attention and a growing capacity to be present with our experience without judgment.

Exploring vedanā, or feeling tone, we notice the pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral quality of experience and the reactions that may follow. Staying grounded in the body, this practice invites curiosity about grasping and pushing away, and the possibility of responding with greater wisdom and freedom.

Drawing on the four foundations of mindfulness and the Four Noble Truths, we explore the difference between the inevitable difficulties of human experience and the suffering that arises through grasping and resistance. By noticing feeling tone, reactivity, and the embodied qualities of tightness and ease, we can begin to recognize moments of release and cultivate a wiser relationship with experience. Readings from The Life and Letters of Tofu Roshi by Susan Moon; Remembering How I Got Here in the First Place by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer; The Second Music by Annie Lighthart.