Dear friends,

My heart's been on a bit of a roller coaster this week — from the gut wrenching news of shootings and violence to the hope of spring and vaccines.

Meditation can bring healing and wholeness to our hearts and help us respond to the world with more balance and clarity. Having a solid foundation for your practice is essential for this.

I gave two talks recently on related topics: one on cultivating compassion, the other on the essential foundations for meditation. You can check both out on my YouTube channel:

• Compassion like an Old Friend
• The Foundations of Meditation Practice

Here are five foundations of meditation practice that I've found helpful. Check it out and see how these occur for you in your life and practice.

1. Safety: Find ways to feel safe enough so your nervous system can settle. I often take a few deep breaths and orient to my surroundings.
2. Groundedness: Connect with a feeling of inner stability. I usually do this by noticing the steady support of the ground beneath me.
3. Connection: Recall where you feel connected in life: with others, in nature, somewhere else? Though it appears solitary, skillful meditation grows from a sense of place and belonging.
4. Kindness: Approach yourself and whatever is happening with kindness, the way you would relate to an old friend you hadn't seen for a while.
5. Interest: Approach yourself and whatever is happening with interest, the way you would listen to an old friend telling you about their life.

I hope the talks are supportive.

Warm wishes,

Oren

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