How we perceive the body from the inside and the outside, how mindfulness and compassion helps with physical and emotional pain.

Guided Sitting Meditation: (Guidance begins at 10 min, and then again at 25 min) Ask the body to align and find balance, then allow it to happen through vitality versus will power. Look for wholeness with regards to physical pain: rather than splitting into a 'me' who has a stiff shoulder – can it be included?

Sharing reflections on intentions and explorations into what pain is. Overview of the four basic ways of practicing with pain.

The experiences we most value – feeling creative, loving, vital – require being awake in our bodies. Yet when faced with physical pain, our conditioning is to pull away from our bodies, and get lost in thoughts. This talk offers guidance in working mindfully with different levels of pain, as we cultivate our capacity to live from an embodied presence and open heart. After the talk, Tara offers a short period of question and response on embodiment.

1. The Wandering Mind; 2. Dealing with physical pain; 3. Dealing with fear, 4. Energy; 5. Moving into Daily Life, open eyes ad normal mode

the sense of space/ distance; responding tonalities / intensities and the effect on awareness and the citta; appreciating body sensitivities to pressure, vibration, intensity, tension; the experience of noticing the body and appreciating the apparent sensitivities on the citta; returning to a mildly agreeable sensation; direct felt experience and its qualities; handing mental inclinations with a similar sensitivity; effects on the citta of the background pressure to “get it right”; the citta’s obsession to become something; learning the art of sensitivity; using discomfort as vehicle to attend internally to sensitivity and physical and emotional pain; widening the emotional lens

Developing the skill of recollection and the experience on the citta; where does the meaning sit?; the arising of citta to meaning; cultivating the immeasureables; the experience comes first; what is the quality of being touched by others’ suffering? Being willing to stay present with that is the movement of compassion; mudita; appreciating a feature or lucky moment for another, for oneself; appreciating the absence of physical pain; learning, sustaining and enriching the experience

When physical or emotional pain is too much, our conditioning is to pull away and avoid direct contact with raw feelings. The result is a trance - we are split off from the wholeness of our aliveness, intelligence and capacity to love. This talk explores how this dissociation shows up in our lives and a powerful way that mindfulness enables us to integrate cut-off parts of our being.

Meeting pain with mindfulness is a very skilful way of understanding the true nature of unpleasant physical sensation.

Mindfulness of the body as a vehicle of awakening - this talk explores what's challenging about being in the body - working with physical pain, difficult emotions, and how mindfulness practice helps bring insight and ease.