Some of you may remember that we did a series of FIFI book club posts on Sharon Salzberg’s book Real Happiness, about how to get started on a meditation practice, what meditation is for, and why you might find it useful. You can start reading about it here.
In advance of the US election, Sharon Salzberg is leading a free online meditation Monday night November 2, 7–8pm Eastern Daylight Time. Here’s the link. And here’s some information about the session:
On November 2, the day before election Tuesday, renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg will offer an hour long program including two short, guided meditations. The first will focus on mindfulness of the breath to cultivate calm and stability. The second, on lovingkindness, will aim to help restore our connection to ourselves and to one another. In this one-hour event, Sharon will also offer words of wisdom and encouragement as we navigate this difficult time.
“We practice in order to cultivate a sense of agency, to understand that a range of responses is open to us,” Salzberg writes in her book, Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and Our World. “We practice to remember to breathe, to have the space in the midst of adversity to recall our values, what we really care about—and to find support in our inner strength, and in one another.”
I’ve registered and will be there tonight.
One more thing: it’s been 30 days since our last FIFI book club post, and we promised to update you on how reading the book has influenced our relationships with meditation. We’re going to save that until next week. So stay tuned, and we will be back with you then.
In the meantime, be well. And if you’re worrying about the world (and who isn’t?), sitting quietly for a few minutes and breathing can’t hurt.
