reprieve, rather than retreat.
when we feel overwhelmed, we may have a tendency to retreat, to close up, to stick our head in the sand. there is an instinct at work there that is calling our attention to a need to rest & take care.
however, if we retreat, the challenge, the obstacle doesn’t magically disappear (raises fist to the heavens “but why not??!”). they are still there, we may miss the learning opportunity, & if there is harm being done, then people are still suffering, & as long as some are suffering, there is collective suffering. we are in this together. love moves us to consider both ourselves & the other, & through the lens of love (born of empathy, embodied by compassion) there is a clarity, & we see there really is no other.
there is another option. we have the option of a reprieve rather than a retreat. we can simply take a break. though love moves us to care for others, it also moves us to care for ourselves. we need to rest & take good care of ourselves. self-care is an act of love. 
so it can be an act of love to take a reprieve from the challenges & obstacles we face & to rest. rest gives us the opportunity to loosen our grasp, to refocus, & be open to new approaches. we can be reborn into action that is truly beneficial.
love is work. it isn’t a feeling as much as it is a choice. feelings come & go along w/ the tide, but our choice, our commitment, our vow to love can remain constant, even as the sea of impermanence brings changes. the world needs such love & those committed to it. hope is born from such luminous space. i have deep abiding hope, because i still see love at work.
the world needs us, our talents, our skills, our love. but the world also needs us rested & not burnt out. take good care.
~j

*join me for some self-care w/ Self-Care Saturdays & Sundays. let’s meditate together. links below:
For Saturday 2/12:
https://buytickets.at/jmwartmeditation/649352

For Sunday 2/13:
https://buytickets.at/jmwartmeditation/649355

**if you feel moved to support this work, consider becoming a Patreon member. 7 levels w/ various rewards. http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller

#love #hope #OpenHeart #empathy #compassion #lovingkindness #SelfCare #reprieve #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

meditation practice is an opportunity to come home to ourselves, to stop, to sit and breathe. something so simple and basic, yet profound in its ability to bring clarity, build resilience, and stabilize – all traits we can benefit from in a world and life of constant movement, demands, and change. 🧘🏼‍♂️
meditation practice can increase our capacity of heart and spaciousness of mind to be with life as it is in this moment, as we are, with attention and awareness. it can be a gift we give ourselves and can be our companion on this journey.💫
join me this coming weekend for Self-Care Saturdays & Sundays, both at 9am PT. no previous experience necessary, just a willingness to work with your mind and give yourself the gift of time and space. instructions and guidance will be given.✨
Links below 👍🏻
For Saturday 2/12:
https://buytickets.at/jmwartmeditation/649352

For Sunday 2/13:
https://buytickets.at/jmwartmeditation/649355

hope to see you there!
~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#meditation #mindfulness #awareness #lovingkindness #OpenHeart #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

hello friends!🤗
one of the rewards for becoming a contributor on my Patreon at the Metta level is a signed art print of my “Love” calligraphy. the art prints are high quality, 10×8″ printed on archival linen paper, 1/2” border added for framing if you wish.
i have a few more than i currently need for my Patreon contributors, so i’m offering them up here for $20. packaging and shipping cost for delivery is included.
i have 4 signed remaining and available for purchase. first come, first served. you can either DM me here or email jmwartmeditation@gmail.com to secure yours. once we’ve confirmed, i’ll give payment info and will ship out to you 🙂
have a beautiful day!~j⭕️❤️🙏🏻
*IF you wish to support my teaching and art practice in other ways, please consider becoming a Patreon member (www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller). support tiers begin at just $3/month. there are various unique and beneficial rewards for every level no matter how small or large. all is appreciated.💫🙏🏻
#love #art #calligraphy #meditation #OpenHeart #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

Hello friends!

Happy and grateful to announce some upcoming group meditation classes I’ll be teaching😊

Self-Care Saturdays and Sundays is a Group Meditation Class offering the practices Mindfulness Awareness & Lovingkindness Meditation. Open to all levels. Introductions to and instructions for each practice will be given🧘🏼‍♂️

My intention is to make this an affordable weekly offering. May it be a benefit. Hope to see you there!🤗

Please see links below to sign up👍🏻

For Saturday 2/5

https://buytickets.at/jmwartmeditation/647072

For Sunday 2/6

https://buytickets.at/jmwartmeditation/647115

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

*If interested in supporting my teaching practice in other ways, please visit my Patreon http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller .There are various unique and beneficial rewards. Example: The Kalyanamitra Tier receives access to all Group Meditation classes like these for free 🙏🏻

#meditation #mindfulness #awareness #lovingkindness #metta #path #practice #OpenHeart #JinpaLhaga

dear friends!

Happy Lunar New Year!  This year, 2022, is the Year of The Tiger (as was the year i was born – 1974). 🐅
the year ahead is full of possibilities and opportunities for growth and renewal. the Tiger brings with it courage and strength, power and confidence – all great characteristics to engage and bring healing and love to a world in need.
may this year support you in friendship and community as your journey unfolds!
~j⭕️❤️🙏🏻

*if you like this art, you can have it as a print or on various products found at JMWart, my online Redbubble store. you can visit directly at JMWart.redbubble.com or via my website (link in bio) 👍🏻🙏🏻

**if prints and products aren’t you’re thing (cool 👍🏻), but want to support my art offerings and teaching practice, please consider becoming a Patron. 7 potential levels of support with unique and beneficial rewards! visit: http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller

#LunarNewYear #ChineseNewYear #YearOfTheTiger #tiger #growth #renewal #courage #strength #power #confidence #OpenHeart #EngagedBuddhism #path #practice #enso #calligraphy #art #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

it is a common myth that in meditation practice we are striving to stop thinking or clear our mind of thought.
😳 🤯

there is a different way, however. a middle way that doesn’t push away thoughts (aggression) or grasp after our thoughts (attachment) or hop on the train of thought and not realize we are lost in thought or are here in this place at this moment as we are (ignorance).

we can sit, we can feel our body sitting. we can breathe, we can feel and pay attention to our breathing. we can also be aware of this moment and our surroundings (sight, sound, sensations, emotions, thoughts) as phenomena arises and falls away.

we can learn to be with what is and allow the rise and fall. we have the ability, the capacity to live with such spaciousness. what a lovely way to live! what freedom!

the practice of this, is meditation.

~j
⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#meditation #path #practice #zen #ShunryoSuzukiRoshi #JinpaLhaga

Image from Tricycle original post on Instagram • @tricyclemag From “Small Mind, Big Mind” by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
🔸

*If you find this content beneficial and would like to support my sharing, please visit: http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller

i was browsing through some previous writing and came upon this. seems so appropriate given the passing of Thay this past week, his teaching of mindfulness of life, this present moment, and the breath.
the breath, as is with much meditation practice, such an anchor in his teachings:

“Feelings come and go, like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”

“Peace is every breath.”

“Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.”

“Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain. Breathing out, I feel solid.”

in some practices we work with the breath (by counting, by lengthening or shortening breath). in other practices we are simply aware of our breath without any manipulation. we use the breath as an anchor in our practice, placing our attention on our breath. the breath is there already. we don’t have to force the breath. because we are placing our attention on our breath which is already happening involuntarily in the body, our mind is then with the body. the two are once again together, in union, in harmony. this can have an almost immediate physiological benefit, and calming effect. this can be an even joyful practice. breathing is life.

every breath is a cycle of life and death, and then life again, until no more (in this time and place anyhow). the breath goes out, we die, the breath comes in we are alive. we cycle through these little seasons or “lives” moment to moment, each one a gift.

breath is also a truth teller. the breath doesn’t lie or fool us – our mind, our ego. our breath bears witness to when we are stressed, worried, afraid, happy, excited, or calm and shows it. the breath can also come to our aid, like a good friend, who knows us well.

let us practice making friends with our breath, paying attention to it, enjoying its company.

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#breath #breathing #breathe #life #seasons #sacred #mindfulness #meditation #path #practice #ThichNhatHanh #ThichNhatHanhQuotes #JinpaLhaga

this is the thing right here 👆🏻

we must be engaged.
love IS engaged 🙏🏻

may we learn to practice appropriate care – both self care and care for others, and this world.

our open heart, our settled mind, and mindful breathing set the stage for appropriate and beneficial care. the practice itself is an act of love.

may our speech, our actions, our service, our art, our work come from this spacious place, inspired by love and embodied with compassion.

~j
⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#love #peace #justice #equality #democracy #climate #HumanRights #activism #mindfulness #EngagedBuddhism #path #practice #MLKquotes #JinpaLhaga

#NeverAgain

#HolocaustMemorialDay

#HolocaustRemembranceDay

#JMWart #JinpaLhaga

hello friends!

at the suggestion of some friends, i’ve finally created a Patreon to help support my aspiration to continue to provide inspirational and contemplative social media content, along with offering affordable and accessible meditation instruction, while also prioritizing my role as full time caregiver for my dad who has Parkinson’s/Lewy Body Dementia.
if you feel so moved, please check it out and see if there is a tier that interests you. i’ve put together what i hope to be some beneficial and valuable rewards for your kindness and generosity.

link: http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller

wishing health and happiness

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#meditation #contemplation #generosity #Dana #Patreon #JMWart