"Going Within" ...Meditation Series by Lisa Venable September/October 2001

A three-week series on Mindfulness Meditation was presented recently by Lisa Venable, MA; a local facilitator of spiritual connection and self-empowerment classes, and also the director of the Agape Sanctuary in Minneapolis. This series was directed toward a process of self-awareness, and integrating our spiritual selves with the spirit of God within us.

The practice of Mindfulness Meditation and Relaxation was introduced with a focus upon an awareness of our breathing. The objective was to develop a greater awareness of the here and now and the sacredness of our simply "being", versus our concentration upon "doing" which occupies so much of our time.

Acceptance of the present moment was emphasized, along with the stillness and peace of just being who we are. Persons were encouraged to simply accept what was happening to them, to not judge how well it may be happening, but to return to a concentration upon breathing if distractions required our refocusing.

Relaxation was further induced by tensing and then relaxing sets of muscles, starting with the toes in our feet and slowly working up the entire body. Relaxation of the jaw facilitated our relaxing face and head.

Returning again to our breathing, we were encouraged to feel the stress leaving our bodies as we breathed out; and again we were reminded to 'Accept and just Be'; to value who we are instead of what we are "doing", and thus to enjoy those moments of such self awareness.

One of the exercises in awareness involved eating a raisin as slowly as possible, to become aware of tastes and textures we might have forgotten about in our often harried attempts to get things done and over with. Finally, body movements were tied into our breathing patterns to extend the discipline of being aware of who we are and placing a priority upon maintaining that awareness.

Ray Tanis is a farmer, masquerading as an engineer, with a passion for writing... Kids are grown, so concentrates on sunflowers and pumpkins. Ray loves writing poetry and music.

Very deliberate slow walking was an additional exercise in not only staying aware of who we are in the process but in feeling well grounded to the Earth on which we exist.

Lisa Venable may be contacted at 612/871-9220 for questions regarding future classes, or on meditation practice in general.