Course Plan
Being aware of the sound of the bell does not mean the bell belongs to you. Likewise being aware of thoughts does not mean the thoughts belong to you.
Wu Sin
The aim of this sessions it to -
Learn to use the Three Precious Pills to awaken to stillness, silence and spaciousness.
Experience the world as a labyrinth rather than a maze to access flow states.
Practice awareness of the senses, including thoughts and emotions as senses.
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A short version of the practice
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Group share how their week has progressed.
With the Home Practice
With the Journaling for Flow
With any other aspects of the course they are seeing unfold in their day to day lives
Though the dialogue should flow freely, it is useful to create boundaries to what is being shared, initially.
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The concept of the handy hack can be introduced as those small things that can be done which don't take much time which can totally alter our day. Those we have learnt already, though we have not explicitly called them 'handy hacks' are
Dropping the Balloon
Three Gratitudes
Hip hip hooray! (moving the hips back and forth when seated to get that 'luft' moment)
THe three precious pills involves imagining taking
a white pill - When we take the white pill we become aware of stillness in the body
a red pill - When we take the red pill we become aware of silence.
a blue pill - When we take the blue pill we become aware of spaciousness.
Follow the link in the additional resources to watch this practice guided by a Dzogchen master Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
These pills have no side effects and you cannot overdose on them. :-)
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If you have access to a natural environment, not too far from the training space, it is recommended to go to this space for this activity.
The group form into pairs and are given a blindfold between them.
One partner wears the blindfold while the other guides them around the space. They have 20 minutes to curate a sensory journey for their partner.
Moving around space without your sight, even though someone is guiding you, is an incredibly vulnerable place to be. Imagine that your heart is like an open hand. The more you feel safe and cared for the more the hand in the heart opens.
However, it needs only for you to trip…a little trip, and that hand will close into a tight fist, the heart will snap shut like a clam and nothing else can be received.
So the challenge for the guide is to take utmost care. Surveying everything around themselves and their partner for hazards. Whilst also giving their partner a multi-sensory experience.
At some point during this blindfold journey you might wonder where you are in this space. You'll notice yourself trying to figure it out. If that's the case see how familiar that activity of the mind is. How you do the same with your life. Constantly trying to figure out where you are in the narrative you have about yourself. The moment you notice this the invitation is to simply surrender to the guide. Coming to your senses is about realising that wherever you go there you are.
Some notes to guide you -
- Do not talk. The aim is to let the left side of the brain - which tends to dominate our lives, rest a while.
- Find different ways to guide. Every touch tells a different story, so experiment with different ways of leading. Use the voice if the space is safe and level, for example.
- Don’t forget to introduce smells and tastes. But do not stuff them up your blindfolded partner’s nose or in their mouth. As best you can, let them discover items for themselves to smell or taste by placing them near or in their hand.
- Take your time and don’t try to invent too much. You cannot know how powerful and amplified the sensory world is when you are not blindfolded.
Keep it simple, slow and stop sometimes and close your own eyes and sense what your partner is sensing.
- Be creative and engaged.
- Guides can, at any time, swap their blindfolded partner. In this way the blindfolded do not know who is guiding them and will experience different styles of guiding.
- Remember, the aim is to keep the heart from closing, and even opening a little more.
It’s important when giving instructions to stress that safety is a priority and that everyone returns their blindfolded partner to a meeting place at the set time or when a gong is struck or music is played Be clear about what the signal to return is and instruct guides not to go so far that they will not hear the cue.
The blindfolded all take their blindfolds off at the same time, under the facilitator’s instruction. So when the cue is heard it is for the guide to return the blindfolded partner to the gathering place, not to remove the blindfold. This is an important point to stress.
The 'unveiling' can be facilitated in many different ways. Or is removing the blindfold the 'veiling?
Back with their original partner the roles swap. Best to leave the debrief for after the second partner has been guided on their sensory journey.
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Weather permitting this dialogue can take place in the space where the creative challenge takes place.
Participants are usually quite taken aback by how much their senses and feelings are so intimately connected, and how it felt to be able to trust or not trust someone to guide them.
Ask whether they noticed a moment when blindfolded where they were wondering where they are, and whether they were able to just relax and be without needing to know the answer.
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The practice can also take place in the natural environment if it is a safe and quiet space with seating. Otherwise return to the training room.
Stress again how finding the time and space to follow the guided meditation during the week will allow the course to have a lasting beneficial effect on their mental health and general wellbeing.
Keeping the journal for flow will help them to recognise and overcome the obstacles to regular practice.