London the Husky slept very well in the yurt last night, and we started our first full day back in the woods, insulated with shedded siberian dog hair. At 7.30am we opened with candle-lit Creative Meditation. Focussing on the breath, we calmed our minds to simply observe the experience. Breathing through our noses allowed our lungs more time to extract oxygen from our inhalation, helping to slow everything down. We considered the benefits of dissolving thoughts, and wondered what it means to create a beautiful space, beyond structure and interior design. While we chanted, the dog dosed on the sofa, and we were held in a state of peacefulness. Chanting has been scientifically proven to stimulate the limbic system, naturally supporting the regulation of emotions, and as we embark on the creative phase of Only When Its Feathers are Grown, we know we are headed for a rollercoaster whiplash. Our project is to create a performance installation on the theme of the descent – a psychological process which strips you of everything you have ever known, smashes you to the floor, skins you, rolls you in chicken feathers, and leaves you for a rabid dog. Somewhere in our essence, we find our own capacity to transform. This is our story.
Creative Meditation open to drop-ins, tomorrow, Thursday and next week Tuesday – Thursday 7.30am at Abington Woods, Church Lane, Little Abington. Bring a blanket.
This was the first time that I meditated with the people I work with. For me meditation had always been an individual experience. Group meditation was a completely new thing. It was a balance of being inside yourself while being present to the ‘outside world’. We took breaks between each step (there were three steps to the meditation) to reflect, tally up, take stock. You didn’t always have to use words, you could draw. I found that very therapeutic.
The shift in chanting between days was interesting. One day I didn’t want to chant, and I ended up just chanting to release frustration & tiredness whereas on another day I came quite easily and relaxing. Noticing the shifts within ourselves and others.
And as Rudzani says allowing to write, draw, express anything you want in between sections to put out externally what you were thinking in the periods of meditation I found useful to understand what I was feeling that morning.